1215 
S65n 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


Notes  of  Travel 


IN 


jHe^ico  anti  Califontia* 


BY  MRS.  J.  GREGORY  SMITH, 

AUTHOR  OF 

"iSevla,"  "Atla,"  Etc. 


MusA.     "Was  there  more  of  pleasure  or  peril  in  thy  journeyings? 
Varus.     "  Listen  to  my  story  and  thou  shalt  learn." 


^t.  SUfaanEi,  ?9crniont: 

]^rmteb  at  tfjc  JBci^jScnocr  anb  Stbtoatijjer  <©ffice. 

1886. 


^5" 


en 


DC 


T 


preface* 

'HE  following  Notes  of  Travel,  made  during 
.'I  journey  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  were  designed 
for  private  use  only,  but  by  request  of  many  friends 
were  subsequently  arranged  in  form  of  letters  to  the 
Si.  Albans  Messenger.  The  demand  for  the  series 
was  so  much  greater  than  had  been  anticipated,  we 
were  unable  to  meet  the  call  for  entire  setts,  and 
have  therefore  been  induced  to  republish  these  very 
interesting  letters  in  book-form. 

EDITOR  ST.  ALBA>^S  MESSENGER. 


28615 J 


Cable  of  Contcntiei. 

CHAPTER.  "  PAGE. 

I.  On  the  Way  to  Mexico,       ....  5 

II.  Ix  Ancient  Aztlan, 13 

III.  On  the  Mexican  Central  Eailroad,     21 

IV.  The  City  of  Mexico 30 

V.  The  Halls  of  Montezuma,  ....  42 

VI.  Vera  Cruz, 52 

VII.  Farewell  to  Mexico, 60 

VIII.  Los  Angeles, 71 

IX.  Monterey, 78 

X.  Monterey, .  87 

XI.  San  Francisco, 96 

XII.  The  Eeturn, 103 

XIII.  Salt  Lake  City  and  the  Mormons,  109 

XIV.  Homeward  Bound 120 


ON  THE  WAY  TO  MEXICO. 

WE  PKOPOSE  A  JOURNEY — THE  DECISION — LA  JUN- 
TA—  RATON  PASS — WONDERS  OF  RAILROAD  ENGI- 
NEERING—  A  CANYON  —  THE  RIO  GRANDE — THE 
OLD  SANTA  FE  TRAIL — A  VALLEY  OF  DEATH — EL 
PASO  —  IN   MEXICO  —  MISSION    WINE. 

WHEX  shall  we  take  our  vacation?  And  where 
shall  we  go?  The  first  query  is  easily  an- 
swered —  February  and  March  are  the  most 
ungenial  months  of  the  year  in  this  northern  climate  ; 
then  wind  and  storm  hold  revel,  our  heads  are  envel- 
oped in  gray  mist,  our  footsteps  impeded  by  drift- 
ing snow,  chill  blasts  pierce  the  garments  we  have 
stolen  from  seal  and  bear,  human  strength  falters  in 
the  prolonged  struggle  with  cold  and  darkness. 

Compel  those  dreary  days  to  "straggle  from  the 
files  of  winter,"  supply  their  place  with  balmy  breezes 
and  blossoms  of  south-land. 

Where  shall  we  go?  To  the  south  of  Europe,  to 
Bermuda  or  Florida? 

Tempt  not  the  rough  Atlantic  in  its  season  of 
storms;  venture  not  upon  the  coral  mushroom  called 
Bermuda  till  the  tempest  and  earthquake  cycle  is 
accomplished;  seek  not  thy  respite  in  the  crowded 
hotels  and  malarious  swamps  of  Florida. 


6  Xofes  of  Travel . 

I'lit  fill-  away  on  the  Pacific  slope  are  lands  to  us 
unknown  and  fair.  There  will  our  fight  with  sav- 
age nature  cease,  and  no  longer  stumbling  on,  man- 
acled by  muffs,  mittens  and  arctics,  we  shall,  like  the 
Athenians  of  old,  "delicately  march  in  pelucid  air." 
We  must  cross  deserts  and  scale  mountains  till  we 
reach  the  Eden  of  tlie  West  and  tread  the  Halls  of 
Montezuma. 

Enough,  enougli  I  To  the  Halls  of  Montezuma 
we  will  go  I 

The  decision  was  final,  necessary  preparations  were 
made,  the  car  "Bellevue"  was  put  in  order,  accounts 
were  settled,  for  who  knew  if  we  should  ever  return, 
and  on  February  IGth  we  sailed  out  of  St.  Albans  har- 
bor, followed  by  the  kind  wishes  of  numerous  friends 
who  had  gathered  to  witness  our  departure. 

At  Chicago  we  were  delayed  two  da^'s  by  business, 
and  on  February  20th  we  left  that  city  and  crossed 
the  Mississip])i  river  at  Rock  Island  in  the  night, 
passed  througli  a  corner  of  Iowa,  Missouri  and  the 
state  of  Kansas,  emerging  into  mountainous  Colo- 
rado February  23,  reaching  La  Junta  at  ten  o'clock 
a.  m.,  a  Avild  place  marked  by  low  wooden  and  adobe 
buildings  and  distant  snow-capped  mountains.  While 
the  other  passengers  breakfasted  we  took  a  brisk  walk 
in  the  delicious  air.  Among  the  motley  groui^s  upon 
the  platform  was  one  that  suggested  sad  and  painful 
thought :  a  sheriff  and  two  manacled  convicts,  one  a 
brutal,  dark-faced  lialf-breed,  the  other  a  white  man, 
with  a  repulsive  but  weaker  exjiression  —  a  tool  rather 
tliau  a  master.    To  a  query  the  sheriff  rej)lied:  "  These 


3o^eN  of  Travel.  7 

meu  liave  just  finished  a  term  in  an  eastern  prison 
and  are  going  to  Arizona  to  be  tried  for  another 
offense. 

After  leaving  La  Junta  we  entered  the  Raton  Moun- 
tains and  made  the  terrible  Eaton  Pass,  at  an  altitude 
of  7,700  feet  above  the  sea  and  in  sight  of  the  majes- 
tic snow-crowned  Spanish  Mountains  and  Pikers  Peak. 
These  mountains  were  in  view  for  hours,  and  although 
eighty  miles  away  they  appeared  no  more  than  fifteen 
miles  distant.  The  railroad  through  these  heights  is 
a  miracle  of  engineering ;  in  one  place  the  solid  rock 
is  tunnelled  for  a  long  distance,  and  in  another  there 
is  a  horseshoe  curve  up  a  grade  of  eighty-five  feet  to 
the  mile,  so  sharp  that  the  laboring,  puffing  giant  in 
front  of  the  train,  and  the  panting,  coughing  pusher 
in  the  rear  can  be  seen  by  the  amazed  occupants  of 
the  cars  at  the  same  instant.  The  frowning  rocks 
overhead,  the  awful  chasms  beneath,  the  railroad 
train  tlireading  its  way  along  the  dizzy  steeps,  the 
wild  loneliness  of  earth  and  the  serenity  of  the  cloud- 
less sky  form  a  picture  never  to  be  forgotten.  A 
sense  of  imminent  danger  adds  to  the  excitement  of 
the  scene.  The  tremendous  pressure  against  the  rails 
in  this  sharp  curve  causes  the  timbers  of  the  car  and 
wheels  to  grind  and  creak  —  even  juni])  under  the 
terrible  strain. 

We  passed  the  deepest  canyon  in  the  night;  a  wan- 
ing, melancholy  moon  increased  the  gloom  of  the 
dark  shadows,  as  upward  and  onward  the  panting 
engine  toiled,  so  slowly  that  it  seemed  about  to  give 
out  through  exhaustion.     The  curse  of  sin  still  hangs 


8  JTofes  of  Travel. 

over  mankind,  toilers  of  the  mountains,  toilers  of  the 
sea.  How  insignificant,  how  helpless  were  we  in  this 
invasion  of  nature's  fastness,  where  retreat  or  even 
faltering  would  be  fatal.  One  could  but  exclaim  with 
Dante,  in  the  Inferno:  *'A11  ho2)e  abandon,  ye  who 
enter  here." 

We  passed  the  dangerous  point  in  safety  and  de- 
scended to  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  a  wide, 
straggling,  irresponsible  stream,  changing  one  chan- 
nel for  another  upon  the  slightest  provocation  ;  leav- 
ing, in  its  erratic  course,  dreary  mudbanks,  great 
drifts  of  stone  and  gravel,  dangerous  quicksands  and 
shapeleiss  pools;  a  river  grand  is  nothing  but  treach- 
ery and  irresponsibility.  It  led  us  into  a  broad  and 
desolate  plain,  without  tree  or  shrub,  without  rill  or 
spring  for  seventy-two  miles.  This  gloomy  land, 
flanked  on  every  side  by  dark,  barren  mountains, 
strange  in  shape  and  deceptive  in  distance,  is  part  of 
the  old  Santa  Fc  Trail,  and  is  aptly  called  The  Valley 
of  Death.  Huge  heaps  of  sand,  driven  by  the  blasts 
of  a  thousand  years,  beds  of  black  lava,  belched  from 
the  craters  of  long-forgotten  volcanoes,  and  misshap- 
ened  mounds  of  clay,  mark  this  plateau  as  the  battle- 
field of  the  enraged  elements.  No  doubt  it  was  once 
the  domain  of  old  ocean,  but  the  internal  fires  of 
earth,  roused  by  some  tremendous  cosmic  influence, 
lifted  the  floor  of  waters  with  Titanic  strength,  heav- 
ing it  upward  till  the  heli)less  floods  left  their  ancient 
basin  and  rushed  aAvay  to  seek  another  resting  place. 
The  imprisoned  fires  then  burst  through  the  rocky 
crust  of  earth  and  made   an   outlet  for  their  fury 


JSfotes  of  Travel.  9 

through  raging  volcanoes.  These  poured  forth  flames, 
lava,  ashes  and  noxious  gases,  till  the  land  was  made 
desolate  past  redemption.  Not  even  a  crow  flaps  its 
wing  or  croaks  above  the  arid  waste,  not  even  a  cricket 
chirps  in  the  ashen  herbage  that  vainly  struggles  with 
the  sand. 

Here  many  a  traveler  has  met  his  doom.  Entering 
this  Valley  of  Death  he  has  wandered  on  without  any 
landmark  to  guide  save  the  illusive  mountains  that 
ever  retreat  as  they  are  approached,  without  tree  to 
shelter,  food  or  water  to  refresh,  till  exhausted  by  the 
interminable  distance,  bewildered  by  the  monotony, 
scared  by  the  awful  silence  and  desolation,  he  has 
given  up  the  struggle  and  fallen  to  rise  no  more. 

We  were  not  sorry  to  leave  these  mountains  of  des- 
pair and  emerge  into  the  lower  lands  that  mark  the 
approach  to  El  Paso. 

February  23d  we  reached  El  Paso,  the  last  town 
in  New  Mexico,  the  last  under  the  protection  of  the 
United  States  flag.  Here  Mr.  David  McKenzie  met 
us.  He  was  formerly  of  the  Central  Vermont  rail- 
road, but  is  now  General  Superintendent  of  the  Mex- 
ican Central.  Upon  his  shoulders  rests  almost  the 
entire  responsibility  of  that  gigantic  work,  one  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  twenty-four  miles  in  length. 
His  services  are  justly  prized  by  the  owners  of  the 
property,  for  they  are  characterized  by  integrity, 
efficiency,  firmness  and  courage.  He  has  also  won 
the  respect  of  the  officials  under  him,  and  of  the 
government  authorities  ;  not  an  easy  task,  but  Mr. 
McKenzie   has  developed  all  the  requisite  qualities. 


lo  J^otes  of  Travel. 

He  received  us  with  generous  cordiality,  and  as  lie 
was  on  the  monthly  tour  of  inspection  put  the  train 
at  our  service,  thus  giving  us  unusual  facilities  for 
visiting  the  large  cities  and  other  jdaces  of  interest 
on  our  way  to  the  terminus  of  the  road,  the  City  of 
Mexico. 

El  Paso  of  Texas,  although  only  five  years  old, 
boasts  of  five  or  six  thousand  inhabitants,  mule  cars 
on  the  principal  streets,  electric  lights,  gambling  and 
drinking  houses,  and  various  other  modern  ini])rove- 
ments.  The  roads,  however,  are  unpaved  and  sandy, 
the  streets  irregular,  the  whole  place  having  the  un- 
finished look  of  frontier  towns  in  general.  We  took 
a  carriage  and  made  a  tour  of  the  town,  then  crossed 
the  sullen  Rio  Grande,  that  here  cuts  its  way  through 
the  Rockies,  giving  the  place  its  name — The  Pass. 
We  were  now  in  the  republic  of  Mexico,  in  the  old 
town  of  El  Paso  del  Xorte.  Here,  for  the  first  time, 
we  realized  our  great  distance  from  home  and  the 
novelty  of  our  situation.  We  were  in  a  foreign  land, 
all  our  surroundings  were  changed.  We  saw  Aztecs 
or  peons,  as  the  native  Mexicans  are  called.  Their 
dress  was  white  cotton  trousers,  woolen  blankets, 
called  sarapes,  wrapped  around  their  shoulders,  and 
broad-brimmed  hats  with  high  conical  crowns ;  the 
houses  and  walls  were  of  adobe  (sun-dried  blocks  of 
mud),  one  story  high,  with  a  single  grated  window 
in  front,  doors  in  the  rear  opening  into  courts  or 
apologies  therefor  in  shape  of  dirty  yards,  cactus 
plants  fringing  the  adobe  walls  or  hedging  the  gar- 
dens ;  donkeys,  called   buros,  laden  with  hay,  faggots 


^'^ofes  of  Travel.  1 1 

and  all  kinds  of  freight  on  their  backs  or  in  great 
panniers.  Here  Ave  saw  a  peach  tree  in  full  bloom 
(February  23),  also  imfaniiliar  Spanish  and  Mexican 
signs  over  business  places.  Perhaps  the  most  start- 
ling one  was  "Jesus  C   DoBiE,  Liquor  Dealer.*' 

We  dragged  through  the  sand  about  two  miles  to 
the  vineyard  of  Dr.  Alexander,  formerly  of  Texas, 
who  settled,  in  this  place  many  years  ago  with  his 
wife  and  daughter.  The  house  is  of  adobe,  one  story 
high,  with  a  veranda  taken  from  the  middle  of  the 
building,  supported  by  white  pillars.  Mrs.  Alexan- 
der, who  was  on  this  interior  porch  with  her  daughter, 
gave  us  hospitable  welcome  and  offered  us  seats.  She 
is  a  large,  handsome  person,  with  resolution  and  cour- 
age— supposed  to  be  a  monopoly  of  the  other  sex — 
stamped  on  every  lineament  and  patent  in  every  mo- 
tion. Her  character  does  not.  belie  her  appearance. 
She  sui^erintends  the  plantation,  and  if  the  peon  la- 
borers are  insubordinate  she  draws  her  revolver  and 
speedily  brings  them  to  terms.  If  the  doctor  is  ab- 
sent she  receives  patients  and  ministers  to  their  ail- 
ments with  the  same  fearlessness.  Nevertheless,  in 
voice,  features  and  manner  she  is  feminine  and  lady- 
like, and  the  anxiety  she  expressed  for  the  welfare  of 
her  husband,  who  is  now  in  Boston  on  business, 
proves  her  a  devoted  wife. 

At  a  motion  from  the  mother  the  younger  lady 
went  out  and  presently  returned  with  a  tray  of  glasses 
well  filled  with  the  celebrated  Mission  wine,  entirely 
free  from  alcoholic  mi.xture,  made  from  a  grape 
introduced  into  this  country  by  the  Spanish  monks. 


12  JS^ofrs  of  'J'ravel. 

I  partook  of  this  beverage  to  the  extent  of  a  few 
drops,  out  of  compliment  to  the  hostess  ;  but  this 
being  in  viohition  of  botli  i)rinciple  and  taste,  I 
returned  the  still  unemptied  glass. 

After  a  few  minutes  of  pleasant  conversation  we 
perceived  that  the  sun  had  set,  and  remembering 
that  the  twiliglit  is  very  brief  in  a  semi-troi^ical 
latitude,  we  regretfully  made  our  adieus. 


IN  ANCIENT  AZTLAN. 

NOVEL  SCEXERY  —  CHIHUAHUA — A  SILVER  MILL  — 
EUROS — PRIMITIVE  AGRICULTURAL  IMPLEMENTS  — 
THE  CATHEDRAL  —  A  DWELLING  HOUSE  —  EARLY 
VEGETATION  —  JIMINEZ — A  TOBACCO  PORT — A  SIL- 
VER CITY. 

WE  remained  all  niglit  in  our  ear  at  El  Paso, 
and  in  the  morning,  February  24,  resumed 
our  journey  by  Mr.  McKeuzie's  special  train. 
All  day  the  same  barren  plains,  flanked  by  distant 
mountains  and  nearer  sand  hills,  meet  the  eye  ;  the 
same  herds  of  cattle,  rancheros,  (farm  houses)  adobe 
buildings,  and  occasionally  a  hut  built  into  a  sand 
bank.  "We  passed  one  pyramidal  hill  where  four  of 
the  engineers  employed  in  the  construction  of  this 
road  met  their  death  at  the  hands  of  the  bloody 
Apaches,  and  also  a  spring  where  forty  Mexicans  were 
decoyed  and  mercilessly  shot  by  the  same  tierce  sav- 
ages. These  deadly  Indians  should  receive  the  treat- 
ment accorded  to  wolves  and  tigers,  the  human  ele- 
ment rendering  them  more  dangerous  because  more 
cunning  than  wild  beasts,  as  the  murder  of  many 
men  and  innocent  women  abuiulantly  proves. 

During  this  day's  ride,  among  other  strange  forma- 


14  JWe.s  of  Travel. 

tions,  we  passed  a  famous  mountain  similar  to  the 
Palisades  of  the  Hudson  and  the  Giant's  Causeway  of 
Ireland,  which  bears  the  name  of  Organ  Mountain, 
though  its  bent  and  twisted  pipes  of  collossal  proi)or- 
tions  suggest  discord  rather  than  harmony,  when  the 
fierce  tempest  "  strikes  his  thunder  harp  "  of  stone. 
We  passed  the  battlefield  of  Sacramento,  and  also  the 
l)lacc  where,  during  the  war  with  Mexico,  Gen.  Don- 
ahue and  seven  hundred  and  fifty  men,  who  had 
marched  from  St.  Louis  through  this  wilderness,  met 
and  repulsed  the  Mexican  army,  leaving  double  that 
number  of  the  enemy  dead  ujion  the  field,  with  loss 
of  only  one  of  our  men. 

At  3.30  p.  m.  we  came  to  the  station  of  Chihuahua, 
a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  city.  From  this  point  our 
car  first  ran  up  to  the  mill  of  the  silver  mine  St. 
Eulalia,  owned  principally  by  Mr.  Cheney,  of  Boston, 
and  Mr.  A.  H.  Barney,  of  Xew  York.  There  we  wit- 
nessed the  processes  of  crushing,  grinding  and  sepa- 
rating the  precious  ore.  The  din  of  twenty  crushing 
stamps,  the  hiss  of  the  engine,  the  noisy  complaint 
of  the  ore  torn  from  its  silver  soul,  the  rush  of  water 
and  the  rattle  of  the  shoveled  mass,  made  a  pande- 
monium to  uninitiated  ears.  I  left  the  mill  with  the 
conviction  that  wealth  taken  gently  from  mother 
earth  in  vegetable  products  is  vastly  more  desirable 
than  such  galore.  There,  as  in  so  many  other  places, 
the  superintendent  told  us  of  the  wonders  of  wealth 
the  mine  would  produce  at  some  future  day;  "but 
just  at  present  the  ore  is  poor,  changes  must  be  made, 
expenses  are  heavy,  returns  are  small."     The  same 


y^ofes  of  Travel.  15 

igmis  fatuus  that  lures  so  many  men  to  disappoint- 
ment and  poverty. 

But  the  great  event  of  this  day  was  a  visit  to  the 
ancient  city  of  Chihuahua,  once  boasting  one  hun- 
dred thousand  inhabitants,  but  now  reduced  to  a  fifth 
of  that  number.  Here,  as  in  all  Mexican  cities,  are 
seen  adobe  houses  with  flat  mud  roofs,  grated  windows 
in  front,  doors  in  the  rear  opening  into  courts  that 
are  entered  by  side  alleys.  The  low  stories  suggest 
earthquakes ;  the  fortified  appearance  of  the  houses, 
treachery  and  theft.  Again  we  see  droves  of  diminu- 
tive buros  with  loaded  panniers  of  fire-wood  larger 
than  their  bodies.  The  wood  is  cut  in  the  mountains 
seven  or  eight  miles  distant,  the  donkeys  are  driven 
the  whole  day  Avithout  food  or  water,  and  at  night 
are  turned  out  on  the  plain  to  satisfy  hunger  and 
fatigue  as  best  they  can,  till  the  light  of  another  day 
calls  them  to  labor.  Yet,  with  all  this  neglect  and 
hardship,  they  are  patient,  dutiful  and  true,  far 
higher  in  the  moral  scale  than  the  lazy,  treacherous 
persons  who  drive  them. 

Here  we  saw  pairs  of  oxen,  not  yokes,  for  in  j^lace 
of  yokes  the  draft  was  sustained  by  a  strip  of  wood 
lashed  to  the  head  and  horns  of  tlie  useful  brutes. 
Three  or  four  pairs  in  one  team  were  harnessed  to  a 
clumsy  wagon  with  a  high  rack  of  poles  and  enor- 
mous wooden  wheels,  innocent  of  a  particle  of  iron. 
It  is  a  constant  source  of  wonder  to  the  beholder  that 
these  huge,  rickety,  unsteady  wheels  do  not  crush  in 
or  spread  apart. 

We  drove  first  to  tlie  Cathedral,  an  imposing  edi- 


i6  JTofes  of  Travel. 

fice,,  bearing  date  l'I3S,  built  when  Xcw  England  was 
for  most  part  a  howling  wilderness.  Like  most  Mexi- 
can public  buildings,  it  was  of  rough  stone  covered 
with  plaster  on  the  main  walls,  but  finished  and 
decorated  with  handsome  stone  carvings.  The  front 
is  ornamented  with  pillars,  niches,  statues  and  scroll 
work,  in  imitation  of  European  cathedrals,  but  like 
all  imitations,  it  is  an  exaggeration  and  failure  almost 
sacrilegious.  The  statues,  ill-proportioned  and  ca- 
daverous, have  been  rendered  still  more  hideous  by 
misapplied  paint.  The  interior,  which  was  intended 
to  be  sublime,  is  still  more  faulty,  with  exception 
of  the  arches  and  altar  front,  which  are  realh'  fine. 
The  images  were  most  disreputable;  dropsical  and 
deformed  limbs  were  attached  to  time-stained,  weazen- 
faced  figures,  and  the  Virgin,  adorned  with  a  sailor 
hat  and  a  fashionable  blue  silk  dress,  trimmed  with 
coarse  cotton  lace,  was  among  the  noticeable  incon- 
gruities. Yet  here  on  the  hard  stone  knelt  solemn 
worshippers,  unburdening  their  sin-laden,  sorrowful 
hearts,  and  no  doubt  receiving  the  answer  of  peace. 

How  diverse  the  form  and  exhibition  of  religious 
sentiment  —  yet  the  need  of  all  humanity  is  one, 
deliverance  from  the  bondage  of  flesh,  assertion  of 
the  ]>ower  of  spirit. 

We  left  the  church  and  visited  a  banking  house, 
with  a  dwelling  attached,  in  process  of  construction 
by  an  American  contractor.  This  was  the  first  Mexi- 
can tenement  proper  we  had  visited,  and  the  interior 
arrangement  quite  charmed  us.  A  short  hall  on  one 
side  leads  into  a  court  beautifully  paved,  open  to  the 


JSfotes  of  Travel.  17 

sky,  surmounted  by  a  gallery  which  is  supported  on 
arches  and  white  pillars.  A  broad  marble  staircase 
leads  to  the  second  story  and  a  corridor  surrounding 
the  court,  which  opens  into  the  family  rooms.  The 
general  effect  was  so  enchanting  that  we  began  to 
plan  an  adaptation  of  these  ideas  to  our  own  dwell- 
ings, but  the  remembrance  of  a  northern  blizzard,  a 
zero  cold  wave,  with  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  rushing 
into  the  open  court,  filling  stone  corridors  and  gal- 
leries, caused  a  sudden  revulsion  of  feeling,  our  teeth 
chattered  and  our  lips  were  dumb.  Moorish  architec- 
ture and  Vermont  climate,  we  fear,  are  irreconcilable. 
Still,  we  are  all  more  or  less  Spanish  proprietors,  and, 
Avhile  we  can  dream  will  never  relinquish  possession 
of  our  castles  in  Sixain. 

We  drove  through  the  ancient  Alameda,  laid  out 
on  the  banks  of  the  river,  at  this  season  a  mere  bed 
of  sand.  A  double  row  of  dying  willows,  uninviting 
stone  benches  and  broken  adobe  walls  mark  the  spot 
where,  in  the  palmy  days  of  Chihuahua,  horses 
pranced  and  carriages  rumbled,  while  stately  pedes- 
trians pursued  their  way  along  the  shady  walks. 

But  the  glory  has  departed ;  Ichabod  is  stamped 
upon  the  melancholy  scene,  impressing  the  beholder 
Avith  the  ever  repeated,  ever  unheeded  lesson,  "These, 
too,  must  pass  away  ! " 

As  we  drove  along  our  guide  pointed  out  the  prison 
where  Hidalgo,  the  liberator  priest  of  Mexico,  spent 
the  last  night  of  his  life,  and  also  the  place  of  his 
execution.  Now  a  monument,  unavailing,  marks  the 
spot.     Alas,  that  so  many  of  earth's  noblest  and  best 


1 8  Xotes  of  Travel. 

should  have  worn  only  the  martyr's  crown,  while 
some  base  usurper  wields  the  sceptre  that  should 
have  been  their  own. 

But  let  us  remember  that  our  present  state  is  sim- 
ply a  world  of  actions  leading  to  a  world  of  conse- 
<]uonces,  and  although  the  bandage  upon  the  eyes  of 
Justice  conceals  from  mortals  the  direction  of  her 
stern,  impartial  glance,  it  is  only  a  loosely  folded 
transparent  veil,  Avhich  does  not  obstruct  her  vision. 
She  weighs  deliberately,  adjusts  the  scales  with  exact- 
ness, and  Time  stands  ready  to  tip  the  beam  as  Jus- 
tice may  dictate. 

"  Au  hour  Cometh  that  will  requite  all." 

We  saw  a  grand  old  stone  aqueduct,  built  on  arches 
by  the  Spaniards,  and  the  modern  one,  better  made, 
that  brings  water  from  n  mountain  seven  or  eight 
miles  distant.  This  abundant  supply  runs  in  small 
waterways  along  the  streets,  dispensing  life  and 
health  to  man,  beast  and  vegetation. 

The  water  supply  is  the  great  desideratum  in  this 
country,  where  rain  is  unknown  for  half  the  year,  a 
want  which  we  can  hardly  realize  who  live  in  a  land 
of  springs,  streams  and  frequent  showers. 

The  early  wheat  showed  green  in  the  broad  fields, 
the  trees  smiled  and  sparkled  under  the  caress  of 
spring,  the  cactus  towered  upon  the  wall,  the  native 
women  peered  through  the  iron  lattices  at  the  stran- 
gers, children  played  in  the  courts  after  the  thought- 
less manner  of  all  young  creatures,  men  wrapped  in 
gay  sarapes  leaned  against  the  walls,  or  squatted  on 


J^otefi  of  Travel.  19 

the  ground  in  the  sunshine.  All  was  so  novel  and 
seductive  we  fain  would  linger  ;  but  the  sun,  which 
waits  not  for  man's  pleasure  or  hastens  for  his  pain, 
sank  in  the  west,  and  remembering  the  brevity  of  the 
twilight,  we  turned  our  reluctant  footsteps  to  our 
home  in  the  Bellevue  car. 

Next  day,  February  25th,  we  stopped  half  an  hour 
at  Jiminez,  where  we  saw  the  great  prairie  schooners, 
as  freight  wagons  are  called ;  groups  of  natives  stand- 
ing listlessly  round  the  station,  the  men  wearing 
sarapes  and  the  women  robosas,  as  the  universal  wraps 
over  the  shoulders  are  called.  We  visited  the  rail- 
road warehouse,  where,  among  other  freight,  was  the 
monthly  receipt  of  thirty  tons  of  cigars.  What  a 
waste  of  money — no,  that  is  a  trifle — what  a  waste  of 
nerve  and  vitality  is  implied  by  the  annual  consumj")- 
tion  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  tons  of  cigars  in  one 
section  of  the  republic  of  Mexico. 

On  the  morning  of  February  26th  Ave  reached  the 
highest  point  of  the  Zacatecas  Mountains,  eight 
thousand  and  forty-four  feet  above  the  sea.  The  day 
was  fair,  the  sky  cloudless — indeed,  we  were  above 
ordinary  cloud-land ;  the  mountains  justified  the 
adjective,  sapphire.  After  an  ascent  of  eighteen  miles 
up  a  grade  of  seventy-eight  feet  to  the  mile,  with 
sharp  curves  on  the  edge  of  steep  precipices,  we  came 
to  the  wonderful  city  Zacatecas,  seventy-five  thousand 
inhabitants,  lying  among  silver  hills  seven  or  eight 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  Here  are  the  richest 
silver  mines  in  Mexico;  in  1881  a  sum  exceeding  five 
millions  of  dollars  was   taken  out.     The   hills  that 


20  JTotes  of  Travel. 

purround  the  city  are  pierced  in  hundreds  of  places, 
and  from  our  railroad  eyrie  Ave  could  sec  the  doomed 
horses  treading  the  harsh  ore  charged  with  deadly 
chemicals.  The  flat  roofs  of  the  houses  were  beneath 
ns,  all  of  adohe  mud,  with  apertures  in  the  rough 
cornices  to  drain  the  infrequent  showers. 

The  vegetable  growths  at  this  high  altitude  are 
wonderful — huge  cacti,  yuccas  and  strange  evergreens. 

The  curves  and  grades  over  these  mountains  are 
fearful  ;  the  deep  cuts  are  through  volcanic  deposits ; 
everywhere  lava  is  to  be  seen.  All  the  earth  and 
rock  taken  out  in  construction  was  carried  away  upon 
the  backs  of  men.  In  many  places  it  was  impossible 
to  use  even  the  sure-footed  buro. 


Cl^aptcr  Cl^rct* 


ON  THE  LINE  OF  THE  MEXICAN  CENTRAL 
RAILROAD. 

NATURAL  HOT  BATHS  AND  LAUNDRIES — MEXICAN 
FRUITS — PULQUE — DISHONEST  TRAITS — SCENES  IN 
A  STRANGE  CITY — MANSIONS  OF  MEXICAN  GRAN- 
DEES— GUANAJUATA  MARBLE — A  MEXICAN  IDEAL 
HOME — REDUCTION    WORKS — A    TRAGIC    EVENT. 

WE  also  stopped  this  clay  at  the  city  of  Agua 
Calientes,  which  takes  its  name  from  a  re- 
markable hot  spring.  The  water  is  brought 
a  mile  in  a  large  open  aqueduct,  where  the  i)opulace 
bathe  and  do  their  washing.  "We  visited  the  batii 
buildings,  which  are  spacious  and  handsome,  as  usual 
of  stone  covered  with  plaster,  durable  in  this  dry 
climate.  A  long  arched  corridor  opens  into  the  bath 
rooms  ;  floors,  ceilings,  tubs  are  of  stone.  The  SAvim- 
ming  baths  are  large  tanks  of  stone  enclosed  in  high 
walls,  but  open  to  the  sky.  Here  an  abundant  sup- 
ply of  Avarm  water,  clear  as  crystal,  rushes  in  after 
its  journey  of  a  mile  under  ground.  It  looked  so 
inviting  that  we  longed  for  a  plunge,  but  our  limited 
stay  forbade  such  a  luxury. 

A  large  building,  at  right  angles  with  the  baths, 
is  devoted  to  laundry  purposes.     The  hot  water  is 


2  2  N^otes  of  Travel. 

conducted  into  a  long  reservoir,  at  the  base  of  which, 
under  an  arched  corridor,  stone-wash  tubs  are  placed 
about  two  and  a  half  feet  above  the  ground.  Before 
these  tubs  stood  women  with  soap  and  soiled  linen, 
which  thej  beat  and  rubbed  in  primitive  fashion.  I 
counted  twenty-four  of  these  convenient  wash-tubs. 
Xo  lifting  water  in  and  out,  no  building  of  fires,  fill- 
ing of  boilers  or  cleaning  of  sloppy  floors;  down  in 
the  dark  recesses  of  earth  all  this  labor  is  performed. 
No  sweltering  in  summer  heat,  no  shivering  in  winter 
cold.  I  almost  envied  the  natives  their  beautiful 
climate  and  hot  spring  —  but  then,  there  are  draw- 
backs. 

In  the  gardens  the  trees  were  in  full  leaf ;  poppies, 
marigolds  and  other  flowers  were  in  blossom  (Feb- 
ruary 26),  the  sun  was  warm  as  in  summer ;  our  par- 
asols were  in  requisition. 

Upon  return  to  the  depot  we  met  the  usual  motley 
crowd.  They  offered  the  fruits  of  the  country  for 
sale,  and  we  purchased  for  a  trifle,  cocoanuts,  mau- 
mees,  grenidetas,  prickly  pears,  oranges,  citrons,  etc. 
Surely  we  are  Approaching  the  tropics. 

The  grenidetas  resemble  a  small  spherical  gourd ; 
the  pulp  is  a  soft  jelly-like  mass,  grey,  with  small 
black  seeds,  but  juicy  and  delicious.  Another  fruit, 
met  with  later,  is  the  sapote,  like  a  green  tomato 
filled  with  blackberry  jam  without  the  seeds;  still 
another,  the  cherimoya  (the  sijelliug  may  not  be  cor- 
rect), is  green  and  ill-favored,  but  contains  within  a 
rich  white  substance,  very  delicious  and  refreshing. 
Both  these  last  mentioned  fruits  are  eaten  with  a  spoon. 


yotes  of  Travel.  23 

I  have  tasted  the  far-famed  pulque.  This  drink, 
harmless  when  fresh,  disgusting  after  fermentation 
has  well  set  in,  and  intoxicating  when  old,  resembles 
in  taste  and  color  thin  yeast,  or  some  say,  stale  but- 
termilk. It  is  made  from  the  maguey  or  agave,  our 
century  jilant.  The  crown  of  the  plant  is  cut  out  at 
a  certain  age  and  the  cup  thus  formed  fills  with  the 
juice  of  the  plant,  which  is  carefully  dijiped  out ; 
some  plants  produce  several  pints.  Thousands  of 
acres  are  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  the  maguey 
plants,  which  grow  to  great  size  in  this  country. 

The  Mexicans,  who  are  very  fond  of  the  drink, 
have  an  adage  which  runs  thus : 

"  Know  ye  not  pulque, 
That  liquor  divine! 
Angels  in  heaven 
Prefer  it  to  wine. 

If  this  be  true,  angels  must  have  a  very  gross  taste, 
and  Paradise  must  ^Droduce  graj^es  of  wretched  quality. 

At  our  first  stopping  place,  Silao,  we  saw  the 
mounted  guards  of  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.  AVe  were  in 
a  Icind  where  thieves  and  robbers  abomid.  Thieving 
is  as  common  as  lying,  and  that  is  the  rule,  not  the 
exception.  The  very  si3ikes  are  stolen  from  the  rail- 
road tracks,  the  links  and  pins  from  the  couplers; 
the  watchmen  are  sometimes  the  culprits.  We  are 
warned  not  to  leave  the  open  door  of  our  car  un- 
watched  for  a  moment.  At  every  stopping  place  a 
crowd  of  lazy  peons,  in  slouch  hats  and  gay  blankets, 
throng  the  platforms  of  our  car  and  2)eer  through 
the  doors  and  windows,  ready  to  seize  anything  they 


24  N'otes  of  Travel. 

can  reach.  They  come  close  and  inspect  our  dress 
and  jewelry.  I  counted  nearly  twenty  last  night  just 
before  the  car  door,  ready  to  take  advantage  of  the 
least  relaxation  of  vigilance. 

From  Silao  we  ran  up  to  Marfil,  thirteen  miles, 
and  there  took  the  tramway  for  Guanajuata,  a  city 
which,  like  Zacatecas,  lies  high  up  among  silver  hills. 
This  proved  to  be  a  very  interesting  visit.  The  val- 
ley, or  rather  ravine,  is  so  deep  and  narrow  that 
many  of  the  buildings  hang  upon  the  hillsides  ;  some 
of  the  streets  are  hundreds  of  feet  almost  directly 
above  others.  It  is  a  very  busy  city,  second  only  to 
Zacatecas  in  the  production  of  silver.  Large  droves 
of  laden  buros,  sometimes  fifty  in  a  drove,  crowd 
the  steep,  stony  streets,  conveying  merchandise  of 
every  description.  The  patience  and  fidelity  of  these 
diminutive  animals  are  a  growing  wonder.  It  cannot 
be  that  such  virtues  are  annihilated  when  breath 
leaves  the  worn-out  frame. 

AVe  went  first  to  the  piazza  or  park,  refreshingly 
bright  with  tro])ical  trees  ;  thence  to  the  residence  of 
the  president  of  the  Tramway  Company.  "We  were 
under  the  escort  of  one  of  the  officials,  and  as  the 
family  were  absent  we  Avere  allowed  to  climb  the  stone 
stairways,  through  lofty  corridors  and  chambers,  till 
the  top  of  the  house  was  reached,  where  a  bird's-eye 
view  of  this  strange  city  was  obtained. 

After  descending  we  walked  up  the  street  to  the 
grand  piazza,  which  is  fianked  on  the  sides  by  ter- 
raced gardens  and  handsome  houses,  and  on  to  the 
residences  of  ex-President  Gonzales  and  ex-Governor 


JSfotes  of  Travel.  25 

Chico.  Tliese  places  were  a  surprise  and  delight, 
oases  in  the  dusty,  stony  city.  That  of  President 
Gonzales  is  a  long,  low  white  building,  with  arched 
windows  and  broad  stone  walks,  the  grounds  adorned 
with  shrubs,  trees  and  plants.  It  is  above  the  street, 
on  a  terrace,  in  front  of  which  is  an  artificial  pond 
or  tank,  where  just  then  a  fine  horse  was  swimming. 
Directly  behind  this  mansion  is  a  strangely  formed, 
dark,  rocky  mountain,  and  at  the  moment  a  great 
Avhite  cloud  lay  behind  it,  towering  up  into  the  azure 
sky.  As  we  walked  along  the  street  we  passed  a 
point  where  a  heavy  clump  of  tall  shivering  trees 
parted,  disclosing  the  mansion  lying  against  the  dark 
mountain  resting  against  the  cloud — a  startling  effect, 
never  to  be  forgotten. 

The  adjoining  grounds  of  ex-Governor  Chico  are 
similar  to  those  of  Gonzales.  Here  we  were  admit- 
ted. The  gardens  seemed  like  enchantment  to  our 
northern  eyes,  so  recently  resting  on  a  waste  of  snow. 
Xovel  and  familiar  plants  met  the  eye.  The  gardener 
gathered  and  presented  us  violets,  cape  jessamines, 
carnations  and  roses,  but  pointed  out  with  greatest 
pride  a  few  fine  pansies  growing  in  pots. 

While  standing  in  this  garden  a  crisp,  cool  little 
breeze,  such  as  had  before  excited  our  surprise,  came 
dancing  down  from  the  hills  or  clouds,  or  heaven, 
whirling  and  tossing  about  leaves,  flowers  and  gar- 
ments, everything  in  its  way,  more  like  an  electric 
current,  a  spirit,  or  some  celestial  messenger  which, 
roaming  along  the  confines  of  cloud-land,  had  dropped 
to  earth,  and  after  a  moment  of  confusion  discovered 


26  JSfotes  of  Travel. 

its  gross  surroundings  and  bounded  away  to  regain 
its  native  element.  Even  as  we  drank  in  the  sweet 
influence  it  was  gone. 

In  the  construction  of  the  more  elegant  buildings 
of  Guanajuata  there  is  a  peculiar  marble  used  that 
impressed  us  much  as  did  the  celestial  breezes.  It  is 
of  a  pale  atmospheric  green,  clouded  in  beautiful 
shades.  It  takes  a  high  polish,  and  when  placed  does 
not  convey  the  slightest  suggestion  of  weight.  A 
church  of  this  marble  would  seem  indeed  a  s})iritual 
temple,  or  the  jasper  walls  of  St.  John's  vision. 

After  leaving  this  part  of  the  city  we  went,  by  invi- 
tation, to  the  residence  of  Signor  Ybarando,  manager 
of  the  Branch  National  Bank.  He  is  a  very  accom- 
plished gentleman,  who  thinks  so  highly  of  our  insti- 
tutions that  he  sent  his  children  to  the  United  States 
to  lay  the  foundation  of  their  education.  He  received 
us  with  the  utmost  cordiality,  but  excused  the  absence 
of  his  wife,  who  is  ill  from  some  affection  of  the 
brain.  The  lady  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful and  highly  cultivated  women  in  Mexico,  as  well 
as  a  person  of  great  courage  and  strength  of  charac- 
ter. Her  three  children  were  presented  to  us,  two 
sons  and  a  daughter.  Their  manners  were  as  perfect 
as  their  faces  were  beautiful,  being  quiet,  dignified 
and  self-possessed. 

We  saw  in  possession  of  these  happy  young  people 
one  of  the  little  black  dogs  for  which  the  city  of  Chi- 
huahua is  celebrated,  which  I  forgot  to  mention  in 
my  last  letter.  The  wonderfully  diminutive  crea- 
tures are  soft,  glossy  and  black.     They  are   greatly 


^otes  of  Travel,  27 

prized  by  natives  and  foreigners,  sometimes  bringing 
as  much  as  two  hundred  dollars  each.  It  is  said  they 
can  not  be  bred  anywhere  but  in  Chihuahua. 

The  drawing-rooms  of  this  house  were  furnished  in 
American  styles ;  the  dining  room  similar  to  ours. 
The  table  was  hospitably  spread  in  our  honor  with 
native  fruits  and  sweetmeats.  Signor  Ybarando 
asiied  me  if  I  would  like  to  see  a  Mexican  kitchen, 
and  guided  us  to  a  small  room  about  eight  by  ten, 
one  entire  side  of  which  was  occupied  by  a  long  range 
of  stone,  in  which  were  five  or  six  openings ;  beneath 
each  of  these  was  a  charcoal  burner  fed  from  a  small 
arch  in  front  of  the  range.  There  was  no  chimney — 
there  is  not  one  in  Mexico — but  a  great  stone  hood 
surmounted  the  range,  at  the  highest  point  of  which 
an  opening  permitted  the  egress  of  the  fumes. 

It  was  time  for  us  to  leave ;  we  went  into  the  cor- 
ridor above  stairs ;  it  was  open  to  the  blue  sky ;  grow- 
ing plants  and  singing  birds  adorned  it;  all  was  so 
peaceful  and  lovely  we  were  loth  to  depart ;  but  other 
scenes  awaited  us,  and  returning  the  usual  ''  thou- 
sand thanks,"  we  made  our  adieus. 

We  next  visited  the  reduction  Avorks  of  a  hacienda 
near  by.  The  polite  superintendent  made  us  wel- 
come, and,  gallantly  offering  me  his  arm,  led  the  way 
through  numerous  mills,  where  the  patient,  blindfold 
mules  were  grinding  silver  ore.  We  then  passed  to 
enormous  vats,  one  or  two  hundred  feet  long,  where 
the  patient  brutes  were  treading  out  the  silver  and 
their  wretched  lives  at  the  same  time.  The  pulver- 
ized ore  is  mixed  with  vitrol,  quicksilver  and  water. 


28  JSfotes  of  Travel. 

to  the  consistence  of  thick  mud.  Eound  and  round, 
in  this  horrible  slush,  the  poor  mules  are  driven, 
wliile  the  chemicals  do  the  work  of  disintegration  up- 
on the  ore  and  the  feet  of  the  animals;  and  Avhen  the 
silver  has  settled,  by  its  greater  weight,  the  refuse  is 
Avashed  away.  The  metals  then  go  into  retorts  ;  the 
quicksilver  is  sublimated  by  heat,  and  the  j)recious 
silver  run  into  ingots. 

With  many  thanks  to  the  superintendent  for  his 
courtesy  we  took  leave  and  went  through  the  markets, 
certainly  not  characterized  by  neatness.  New  pota- 
toes, pepi)er  and  beans  were  the  chief  commodities  on 
sale  at  this  late  hour. 

Here  we  saw  what  before  had  attracted  our  atten- 
tion— a  primitive  way  of  obtaining  water,  the  scarcest 
article,  it  would  seem,  in  this  arid  laud  from  October 
to  June.  Water  carriers  perambulate  every  street, 
Avith  jars  about  four  feet  long  and  about  a  foot  in 
diameter,  strapped  on  their  backs  with  leathern 
thongs.  Crowds  of  women  and  children  stand  ready 
with  jars  and  pitchers  to  receive  the  precious  fluid, 
without  which  the  processes  of  housekeeping  as  well 
as  of  life  must  cease.  Thus  year  after  year  and  gen- 
eration after  generation,  tens  of  thousands  live  upon 
a  scanty  dole  that  would  in  our  favored  land  scarcely 
serve  to  flush  a  single  drain.  It  is  a  saying  among 
Mexicans  that  "'  they  climb  for  their  water  and  dig 
for  their  wood  " — the  former  being  generally  obtained 
from  springs  high  up  in  the  mountains,  and  the  wood 
being  mostly  the  gnarly  roots  of  the  musquit,  a 
shrub  or  tree  that  flourishes  on  the  arid  plains. 


JVofes  of  Travel.  29 

At  three  p.  m.  we  were  again  on  onr  way  to  the 
City  of  Mexico,  fragments  of  scripture  floating 
through  the  brain  : 

"Oh,  thou  that  dwellest  in  the  clefts  of  the  rocks,  that  holdest  the 
heights  of  the  hills,  though  thou  shouldst  make  thy  nest  as  high  as  the 
eagle,  I  will  bring  thee  down  from  thence,  saith  the  Lord  God." 

Shortly  after  we  were  at  Guanajuata  a  strange  and 
dreadful  event  took  place.  Upon  a  high  mountain 
over  the  city,  on  a  nearly  inaccessible  height,  is  to  be 
seen,  relieved  against  the  sky,  a  shrine  to  the  Virgin 
Mary.  To  this  place  penitents  creep,  sometimes  on 
their  knees,  in  hope  of  expiating  their  sins.  It  was 
stated  in  the  newspapers  that  the  day  subsequent  to 
our  visit,  a  man  and  a  woman,  apparently  in  the  higher 
walks  of  life,  toiled  np  the  rugged  mountain,  and, 
after  standing  motionless  a  few  minutes,  hurled  them- 
selves down  the  awful  precipice  and  were  dashed  to 
pieces  on  the  rocks  below.  Their  bodies  were  mangled 
past  hope  of  recognition.  They  were  strangers,  and 
there  was  not  the  slightest  clue  to  the  motive  that 
prompted  such  an  awful  suicide. 


Cljaptcr  foujc* 

THE  CITY  OF  MEXICO. 

AXCIENT  TENOCHTITLAN — SUMMER — FLOWERS — SUN- 
DAT  A  GALA  DAY  —  HOTEL  ITERBIDE — SIGHT-SEE- 
ING— THE  CATHEDRAL — THE  WATER  GAUGE — HALL 
OF  ANTIQUITIES  —  MUSEUM  —  THE  HELODERMA  — 
SERPENTS  AND  LIZARDS  —  GAUDELOUPE  —  AZTEC 
MONUMENTS. 

"Thou  art  beautiful, 
Queen  of  the  Valley,  thou  art  beautiful ! 
Thy  walls  like  silver  sparkle  in  the  sun, 
Melodious  wave  thy  groves,  thy  garden  sweets 
Enrich  the  pleasant  air;  upon  the  lakes 
Lie  the  long  shadows  of  thy  towers,  and  high 
In  heaven  thy  temple  pyramids  arise 
Against  the  clear,  blue  sky." 

FEBELTARY  28th,  at  8.25  p.  m.,  we  reached  the 
City  of  Mexico,  after  a  terrific  ride  over  the 
Lena  Mountains  at  the  height  of  eight  thousand 
one  hundred  and  thirty-two  feet.  We  here  experi- 
enced in  a  greater  degree  than  we  had  previously,  the 
effects  of  high  altitude  :  short  breath,  headache,  diz- 
ziness, buzzing  in  the  ears,  nose-bleed  and  general 
discomfort;  the  strongest  in  our  party  succumbed. 

The  grated  barriers  of  the  railroad  station  were 
among  the  first  novelties  that  attracted  our  attention  ; 
precaution    against    lawless  violence    is   everywhere 


i 


I^otes  of  Travel.  31 

seen.  Nominally  a  republic,  there  is  really  no  self- 
government  in  Mexico ;  the  strong  arm  of  force  is 
necessary ;  liberty  and  license  are  incompatible. 

The  gentlemen  of  our  party  went  into  the  city  to 
make  arrangements  for  our  reception,  while  we  strolled 
upon  the  ample  platform.  The  sun  shone  warm ; 
people  remarked  :  "  It  will  be  a  hot  day."  The  tall, 
green  trees  stood  motionless  against  an  unclouded 
sky,  the  birds  sang  merrily  in  the  branches — the 
weather  was  June  at  her  best.  Just  then  a  mes- 
senger came  with  a  telegram  from  Vermont :  "  \yeath- 
er  cold  and  blustering."     It  hardly  seemed  possible  ! 

In  a  few  minutes  a  mule  cart  drove  up  for  our  bag- 
gage, and  a  coach  for  ourselves.  In  the  latter  were 
flowers  sent  by  kind  friends  as  a  welcome.  I  doubt 
if  a  two-bushel  basket  would  have  held  the  enormous 
bouquets.  We  entered  the  carriage  loaded  with  flow- 
ers, and  one  of  our  party  remarked  that  she  felt  like 
a  prima  donna  leaving  the  theatre  after  an  opera 
triumph.  As  we  tore  through  the  streets  (oar  coach- 
man was  a  Jehu)  novel  scenes  met  the  eye  at  every 
turn.  ISTo  Sabbath  stillness  ;  the  day  of  sacred  rest  is 
here  a  holiday,  a  day  for  license,  a  day  of  sport ;  then 
thieves  jsly  their  vocation  most  successfully,  for  every- 
body is  out,  and  the  church,  with  its  kneeling  wor- 
shippers, is  a  most  convenient  place  for  their  opera- 
tions. The  entire  population  seemed  to  be  in  the 
streets;  Mexicans  on  horseback,  with  the  typical 
sombrero  (slouched  hat)  gay  jacket  and  light-colored 
pantaloons,  all  profusely  trimmed  with  gold  and  sil- 
ver lace ;   carriages  with  handsomely  dressed  ladies. 


32  JSTotes  of  Travel. 

wearing  black  lace  mantillas — not  bonnets — on  their 
heads ;  and  pedestrians  in  gay  attire  ;  public  gardens 
tilled  with  tropical  plants ;  houses  with  grated  win- 
dows, open  shops,  walled  courts,  donkeys  Avith  heavy 
loads,  business  wagons  creaking  with  freight,  all 
passed  by  as  in  a  pageant,  under  the  bluest  of  skies 
and  brightest  of  suns.  The  pavement  was  rough, 
and  the  guardian  of  the  horses  delighted  in  a  furious 
gait  and  a  zigzag  course.  I  verily  believe  he  crossed 
the  tramway  twenty-five  times  before  we  reached  our 
destination. 

The  Hotel  Iterbide,  where  we  stopped,  an  enor- 
mous building,  like  most  of  those  in  Mexico,  is  of 
stone  overlaid  with  plaster  and  liighly  ornamented 
with  stucco  work.  The  large  courts  are  as  usual 
open  to  the  cloudless  sky,  the  long,  intricate  passages 
and  stone  stairways  seem  interminable  to  the  newly- 
arrived  and  puzzled  guest.  It  was  originally  built 
for  Gen.  Iterbide,  once  ruler  of  Mexico,  a  man  with 
only  one  hand,  but  so  grasping  and  dishonest,  it  is 
said,  if  he  had  possessed  the  usual  complement  of 
fingers  nothing  would  have  been  left  in  the  republic 
that  did  not  belong  to  him. 

The  rooms  in  this  pretentious  building  are  small 
and  ill-furnished ;  Avater  and  candles  are  the  only 
extras  provided — everything  else  must  be  separately 
paid  for,  yet  the  average  expense  is  low.  The  cham- 
bermaids are  men,  Mexican  peons ;  the  restaurant  is 
very  unsatisfactory.  We  took  baths,  which  are  ad- 
mirably arranged,  and  dined  at  the  hotel.  Thinking 
to  better  our  table  we  Avent  next  mornino^  to  "  The 


yotes  of  Travel.  35 

Concordia/'  another  hotel.  A  large  roll,  so  hard  that 
literally  I  could  not  break  it,  a  thin,  white,  oily 
wafer,  called  butter,  a  cup  of  coffee  composed  mostly 
of  milk,  and  a  hard-done  omelette  was  the  bill  of  fare. 

A  kind  friend  called  and  offered  himself  as  guide 
and  interpreter,  and  after  breakfast  we  began  our 
exploration  of  the  city.  And  here,  I  would  say,  it 
must  be  remembered  that  in  this  delightful  climate 
there  is  no  "postponement  on  account  of  the  weath- 
er," and  little  variation  in  thermometer  or  barom- 
eter during  the  entire  year  ;  the  sun  is  almost  always 
shining,  and  even  in  the  rainy  season  there  is  only  a 
shower  every  day.  The  air  is  delightful,  but  the 
altitude  is  so  great  that  strangers  get  out  of  breath 
with  slight  exertion  ;  persons  newly  arrived  sometimes 
faint  ascending  stairs.  The  people  thronging  the 
thoroughfares  are  of  three  classes  :  First,  the  descend- 
ants of  the  Spaniards,  generally  the  wealthiest  and 
most  highly  educated,  the  grandees  of  the  nation ; 
second,  the  peons,  or  descendants  of  the  native  Az- 
tecs ;  and,  lastly,  Indians,  nomads  of  various  tribes, 
very  low  in  the  scale  of  intelligence,  so  low  that  some 
of  them  come  into  the  city  naked  savages.  These  ar& 
seized  by  officials  appointed  for  the  purpose  and 
clothed  with  a  blanket  at  government  expense. 

We  first  visited  the  cathedral,  a  grand,  highly 
ornate  edifice,  more  magnificent  and  gorgeous  within 
than  those  in  Europe,  although  the  proportions  and 
architecture  do  not  equal  the  marvels  of  the  East, 
there  is  a  greater  amount  of  gilded  carving,  images, 
banners  and  frescoes. 


34  N^otes  of  Travel. 

Morning  service  was  in  progress,  conducted  by  dif- 
ferent priests  in  various  parts  of  the  building  at  the 
same  time.  Some  of  the  congregations  were  very 
large,  all  kneeling  or  standing,  no  seats  being  nsed. 
A  magnificent  organ  sounded  at  intervals,  answered 
by  choirs  not  so  fine.  The  church  is  surrounded  by 
a  flower  garden,  and  on  one  side  is  a  large  flower 
market,  where  at  least  on  Sunday  mornings  lovers 
and  fond  husbands  go  to  select  beautiful  flowers. 
Across  the  street  is  a  piazza,  or  park,  always  thronged 
by  a  motley  crowd,  as  here  is  a  drinking  fountain, 
and  it  is  in  the  busiest  part  of  the  city.  Near  the 
catliedral  is  a  curious  and  ingenious  water  gauge, 
which  marks  the  rise  and  fall  of  Lake  Texcoco,  which 
nearly  surrounds  the  city  at  a  distance  of  nine  miles. 
Its  level  is  but  slightly  below  the  streets,  and  some- 
times it  has  overflowed  and  caused  terrible  floods  in 
the  city.  To  warn  the  people  in  season  to  prepare  for 
such  a  cataclysm  this  register  has  been  invented.  It 
is  connected  with  the  lake,  and  shows  the  actual 
height  of  the  water  at  any  given  moment. 

On  the  corner  opposite  the  cathedral  is  the  National 
Museum.  We  first  visited  the  Hall  of  Antiquities, 
where  are  gathered  the  few  relics  of  a  tremendous 
prehistoric  civilization  that  Spanish  superstition  and 
fanaticism  have  left  for  a  wondering  world. 

The  Toltec  calendar,  or  astronomical  stone,  is  a 
huge  disc  eight  or  ten  feet  in  diameter,  carved  with 
unknown  cliaracters,  including  two  serpents.  There 
are  also  colossal  human  figures  in  a  recumbent  pos- 
ture, recently  discovered   iu    the  wilds  of  Yucatan ; 


JVofes  of  Travel.  35 

various  huge  idols  in  sculptured  stone,  not  vmlike  the 
Buddhas  of  the  Orient  in  posture  ;  the  Aztec  war  god, 
a  horrible  monster  with  skirt  of  woven  rattlesnakes, 
the  heads  forming  the  fringe ;  three  or  four  colossal 
figures  of  the  feathered  sun  serpent ;  last  and  most 
horrible,  the  great  sacrificial  stone,  eight  or  nine  feet 
in  diameter  and  five  or  six  feet  in  thickness  from  the 
ground.  The  whole  top  and  sides  are  covered  with 
peculiar  designs,  and  in  the  center  of  the  flat  surface 
is  a  place  hollowed  out  to  receive  the  shoulders  of  the 
victim,  from  which  a  channel  or  gutter  leads  to  the 
outer  edge  to  permit  the  flow  of  blood.  Here,  it  is 
said,  sixty  thousand  human  beings  have  been  immo- 
lated, a  mournful  relic  of  peoples  and  nations  who 
believed  that  ''without  the  shedding  of  blood  there 
is  no  remission  of  sin,"  but  who  understood  not  the 
hidden,  spiritual  meaning  of  that  tremendous  truth. 
Other  halls  of  the  museum  are  filled  with  jjroducts 
of  different  Mexican  jDrovinccs;  minerals,  marbles, 
fossils,  wares,  preserved  beasts,  monstrosities,  insects 
and  reptiles.  Among  these  last  was  a  horrible  lizard, 
peculiar  to  the  Ilealey  River,  called  the  Gela  Mon- 
ster. The  specimen  was  the  color  of  gray  stone,  two 
feet  in  length,  though  sometimes  it  is  yellow  with 
black  spots,  and  five  feet  long.  Sharp,  irregular 
spines  run  along  the  back,  and  under  its  vicious  jaws 
is  a  large  bag  or  pouch,  from  which,  it  is  said,  this 
horror  of  nature  can  expel  a  gas  so  deadly  that  any 
living  creature  will  swoon  upon  inhaling  it.  In  an 
El  Paso  journal  of  March  25th  I  found  the  follow- 
ing account  of  the  Heloderma  or  Gela  Monster  :  "It 


^6  JSfotes  of  Travel. 

is  the  only  venomous  lizard  in  the  world,  so  far  as  is 
known,  and  is  confined  to  Mexico,  Lower  California 
and  Arizona.  The  poison  comes  from  glands  in  the 
mouth,  and  the  teeth  are  channeled  to  accelerate  its 
passage  into  the  wound.  Brandy  and  whiskey,  often 
efficacious  in  rattlesnake  poison,  have  no  effect  on 
the  virus  of  this  lizard,  perhaps  because  the  physio- 
logical action  is  so  different.  The  snake  bite  para- 
lyzes the  respiratory  centre,  the  poison  of  the  Gela 
Monster  paralyzes  the  heart.  I  saw  a  man  killed  by 
a  heloderma  under  most  distressing  circumstances. 
A  large  one,  four  or  five  feet  long,  had  been  captured 
and  tied  to  a  ])ost.  A  drunken  man  began  to  torment 
it,  saying  he  did  not  believe  it  to  be  venomous. 
Those  standing  around  Avarned  him  and  forcibly  took 
him  away  several  times,  but  he  returned  and  thrust 
his  hand  into  the  reptile's  mouth.  He  was  sober  in  a 
moment ;  sharp  pains  and  swelling  of  the  arm  ensued 
immediately  ;  he  went  into  the  most  terrible  convul- 
sions, and  died  on  the  spot  where  he  fell,  in  less  thau 
an  hour,  among  a  group  of  pale  men  who  were  utterly 
powerless  to  give  him  relief." 

As  this  description  of  the  Heloderma  elicited  con- 
siderable attention  and  inquiry  at  the  time  it  first 
appeared  in  print,  our  readers  may  be  interested  in 
the  following  account  which  is  taken  from  the  New 
York  Tribune  just  as  this  chapter  goes  to  press: 

FUKIOUS    BATTLE     BETWEEN    TWO    REPTILES    BELONGING    TO 
THE    FISH    COMMISSION. 

Washington,  Oct.  29. — A  rare  combat  took  place  this  after- 
noon in  a  building  occupied  by  the  Fish  Commission,  between 


JVofes  of  Travel.  37 

the  newly-arrived  "monster"  from  the  Gila  River  in  Arizona 
and  a  two-year-old  alligator  from  Florida.  The  lizard  is  four- 
teen inches  long  and  about  twice  the  weight  of  his  antagonist. 
Both  reptiles  were  in  a  semi-torpid  condition,  having  ceased  to 
take  food  a  week  or  two  ago,  and  for  some  purpose  they  had 
been  removed  from  their  glass  cases  and  placed  beside  each 
other  upon  the  stone  floor.  An  attendant  inadvertently 
touched  the  alligator's  tail,  and  caused  him  to  move  sluggishly 
onward  a  few  inches,  when  he  came  in  contact  with  the  blunt 
nose  of  the  lizard.  The  snaky  eyes  of  the  lizard  lighted  up  ; 
his  black  lips  opened  wide,  and  his  jaws  clo.sed  with  a  snap 
upon  the  fore  paw  of  the  alligator.  The  prisoner  made  for  a 
time  a  gallant  light  for  liberty  and  life.  His  movements  were 
marvelously  quick,  and  his  jaws  closed  a  dozen  times  in  quick 
succession  upon  the  mailed  head  of  his  assailant.  He  soon, 
however,  became  exhausted,  and  moaning  like  a  suffering 
child,  lapsed  into  quietude. 

The  attendants  sought  by  a  variety  of  means  to  release  the 
wretched  alligator,  but  were  compelled  to  be  extremely  careful 
in  handling  the  venomous  "mon,ster."  He  was  seized  by  the 
tail  and  held  up  in  the  air ;  taken  by  his  bloated  neck  and 
choked  severely  ;  plunged  under  water,  and  maltreated  in 
other  ways,  but  to  no  purpo.se.  Then  sharp  wires  were  thrust 
into  his  nose,  and  finally  a  large  trowel  was  thrust  into  his 
mouth  ;  but  such  was  the  force  of  his  grasp  that  the  steel 
blade,  though  considerably  bent  in  the  effort,  failed  to  release 
the  imprisoned  paw.  Then  the  pair  were  replaced  in  the  glass 
case  which  had  been  occupied  by  the  lizard,  and  again  the 
alligator  renewed  his  struggles,  thrashing  his  enemy  with  his 
tail  and  snapping  at  him  with  his  jaws.  In  his  struggles  he  had 
dislocated  his  shoulder,  and  the  imprisoned  limb  became  limp 
and  powerless.  At  last  the  trowel  was  again  introduced  into 
the  lizard's  mouth,  and  probably  niade  a  severe  wound  in  some 
tender  part.  Bubbles  of  grayish  slime  were  e.xuded  from  the 
mouth  and  nostrils,  and  finally  the  jaws  .slowly  opened.  Even 
then  it  was  a  work  of  several  minutes  to  disengage  the  hooked 
fangs  from  the  wounded  paw.     The  combatants  were  placed 


:^(315J 


38  2^otes  of  Travel . 

in  their  separate  cages,  the  lizard  hipping  his  thicli  black  lips 
with  his  greenish  forked  tongue,  while  the  alligator  closed  his 
eyes,  probably  to  die  of  the  venom. 

That  mere  natural  influence,  even  in  the  desert 
wastes  of  Mexico  and  Arizona,  should  produce  such 
an  appalling  creature  is  almost  incomprehensible.  It 
certainly  seems  as  if  the  "1"  in  its  name  should  Ije  a 
double  letter. 

The  rattlesnake  and  heloderma  are  mortal  foes,  and 
their  battles,  sometimes  witnessed  by  hunters,  are 
among  the  most  terrible  sights  in  nature.  Other  ser- 
pents, also  scorpions  abound  in  Mexico.  At  Durango 
the  latter  are  a  frightful  jiest.  Their  sting  is  invaria- 
bly fatal  to  children — sometimes  proving  so  in  a  few 
minutes.  Though  the  government  has  placed  a 
bounty  on  tlieir  heads  and  as  many  as  one  liundred 
thousand  are  killed  in  a  year,  they  cannot  be  exter- 
minated. It  is  said  the  birds  of  Mexico  never  sing, 
but  I  think  that  true  only  of  those  in  captivity. 

After  leaving  the  museum,  we  took  the  tramway  to 
the  church  of  Gaudeloupe,  three  miles  distant.  Just 
as  the  train  started,  the  cathedral  bell  tolled  the  mid- 
day hour.  A  more  solemn,  musical,  deep-toned  bell 
I  have  never  heard.  At  the  sound  of  the  bell  all  the 
natives  uncover  'their  heads  till  the  reverberation 
passes  away. 

The  Church  of  the  Virgin  of  Gaudeloupe  is  a  mag- 
nificent structure,  founded  upon  the  spot  indicated  by 
an  apparition  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  The  command  to 
build  the  church  in  this  place  Avas  given  to  a  peasant 
boy,  and  in  token  of  authenticity,  it  is  said,  she  im- 


JSfotes  of  Travel.  39 

pressed  her  picture  upon  liis  apron.  We  saw  tlie 
veritable  apron  in  a  glass  case  at  the  museum.  If  it 
is  a  true  portrait  the  Virgin  does  not  come  np  to  our 
ideal  in  beauty  or  spirituality. 

The  great  effigy  over  the  altar  of  this  church  is, 
according  to  our  ideas,  a  blasphemy.  Upon  an  im- 
mense guilt  triangle  are  the  sitting  images  of  an  old 
man  and  a  young  one  ;  oyer  the  group  hovers  a  dove  ; 
these  are  intended  to  represent  the  Trinity.  The 
careless  and  irreverent  use  of  things  considered  by  us 
too  sacred  to  be  mentioned  without  the  utmost  sol- 
emnity, is  frequent  and  shocking.  One  of  our  friends 
heard  a  man  say  to  his  servant,  "Jesus,  come  here 
and  Tjlack  my  boots  I " 

The  choir  of  Gaudeloupe  is  superb,  above  any- 
thing we  have  previously  seen.  Not  even  the  carv- 
ing of  the  temptation  scene  in  Antwerp  equals  that 
in  the  choir  of  Graudeloupe.  We  counted  thirty- 
seven  panels  in  the  half-circle,  and  under  them  a 
double  row  of  seats,  admirably  carved  in  rosewood, 
each  relief  representing  a  different  sacred  scene. 
These  marvels  of  art  are  highly  polished,  and  are 
almost  black  with  age. 

The  numerous  and  extended  railings  in  the  main 
body  of  the  church  are  of  solid  silver,  placed  there  at 
a  cost  of  seven  millions  of  dollars.  Upon  leaving  the 
church  we  saw  a  large  ])ile  of  crutches,  which  we  were 
told  had  been  left  by  invalids  after  miraculous  cures  ; 
these  were  from  sizes  that  would  fit  a  giant  to  one 
about  a  foot  long — the  last  left  there  no  doubt  by  a 
decrepit  doll. 


40  JTofes  of  Travel. 

We  entered  the  small  but  beautiful  chapel,  built 
over  the  muddy  spring  which  is  supposed  to  effect 
these  sudden  and  miraculoiTS  cures.  At  this  time, 
and  I  suppose  it  is  thus  always,  a  throng  of  ragged, 
wretched  peasants  lingered  in  the  area,  bearing  jjitch- 
ers  and  jars  ifilled  with  the  muddy  water  of  the  well. 

Going  and  coming  from  Gaudeloupe,  a  fine  view  of 
the  extinct  volcano  Popacatapelt  is  often  obtained, 
but  owing  to  a  hazy  condition  of  the  atmosphere  we 
had  only  the  imperfect  outline.  In  this  ride,  how- 
ever, we  passed  between  some  curious  Aztec  monu- 
ments, fifteen  or  twenty  feet  high,  uniform  in  size 
and  shape,  placed  at  equal  distances  along  the  sides 
of  the  highway ;  we  also  left  and  entered  the  city 
through  a  gateway  of  the  wall  that  encloses  it. 

We  dined  this  day,  and  every  other  of  our  stay  in 
Mexico,  at  the  Cafe  Anglais,  the  least  exceptionable 
restaurant  in  the  city.  Many  of  the  dishes  were 
familiar,  but  those  which  required  boiling  were  con- 
spicuous by  their  absence,  as  evaporation  in  that  rari- 
fied  atmosphere  takes  place  before  the  requisite  heat 
can  be  obtained.  Frying  is  substituted,  but  fried 
string  beans  and  cauliflower  were  not  to  our  taste. 
The  place  is  untidy  and  noisy,  thronged  with  guests 
of  every  nationality.  The  waiters  understand  only 
Spanish,  for  conquerors  always  force  their  language 
ujion  the  conquered.  As  an  indication  of  the  ethical 
condition  of  this  city,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  the 
growing  plants  in  the  entry  of  the  Cafe  are  wired  down 
to  prevent  their  loss. 

After  dinner  we  went   out    to  look   for   Mexican 


JVotes  of  Travel.  41 

curios ;  opals,  strange  painted  bowls  and  plaques, 
feather  pictures,  wax  images  covered  with  a  fine  web 
of  clotli  which  preserves  but  does  not  disfigure  them, 
shell  work,  silver  and  gold  Jewelry,  Aztec  relics  and 
pottery,  peculiar  to  different  sections  of  the  republic. 
We  slept  at  the  Iterbide ;  that  is,  some  of  our  party 
slept,  but  others  abandoned  their  couches  to  the 
small  aboriginal  inhabitants  who  valiantly  and  suc- 
cessfully disputed  possession  with  them. 


THE  HALLS   OF  MONTEZUMA. 

A  PRIVATE  CIRCUS — CHAPULTEPEC  —  MONUMENTS  IN 
THE  ALAMEDA — THE  HEIGHTS — HISTORIC  PLACES — 
THE  PALACE  AT  CHAPULTEPEC — RESIDENCE  OF  THE 
YSCANDONS — SUPERB  FURNITURE — MEXICAN  RAIL- 
ROAD—MOUNTAIN GRANDEUR — ABYSSES — GORGES 
— THE    HOT    LANDS. 

TUESDAY,  March  2(1,  we  had  arranged  to  go 
early  to  Chapultcpec,  the  Hill  of  Grasshoppers. 
Why  SO  named  I  have  never  learned.  Tliere 
certainly  is  not  grass  enough  on  the  heights  to  tempt 
these  insects.  Probably  it  was  the  totem,  or  sacred 
symbol  of  the  Aztecs  or  Zoltecs,  adopted  according  to 
custom  among  the  aborigines  of  America. 

"Thej'  ))ainte<l  on  the  jjrave  posts 
Each  the  symbol  of  his  liousehold, 
Figures  of  the  bear  ami  reindeer, 
Of  the  turtle,  crane  and  beaver." 

This  place  of  historic  fame  is  a  few  miles  from  the 
city,  the  seat  of  the  Emperor  Maximillian's  short-lived 
grandeur — a  fortress  captured  by  Gen.  Scott  during 
our  war  with  Mexico — once  occupied  by  the  cruel 
General  Cortez  —  and  still  more  remotely,  the  site 
upon  which  stood  the  Halls  of  Montezuma. 


JSfotes  of  Travel.  43 

The  friends  who  were  to  accompany  us  were  a  little 
behind  time,  having  had,  as  they  expressed  it,  "a 
private  circus  at  their  own  house  early  in  the  morn- 
ing." The  mistress,  upon  rising  earlier  than  usual, 
found  a  strange  man  in  the  house,  admitted,  as  it 
proved,  by  her  confidential  servant.  The  husband, 
the  porter  and  the  police  were  hastily  summoned  and 
the  culprits  were  taken  to  prison.  There  is  abso- 
lutely no  reliance  to  be  placed  on  these  people.  This 
is  the  testimony  of  every  foreigner  we  have  met. 

"We  made  the  trip  to  Chapultepec  in  carriages, 
passing  along  the  Alameda,  or  grand  driveway  and 
promenade,  beautifully  laid  out  with  trees,  walks, 
fountains  and  stands  for  music.  In  the  boulevard 
leading  to  Chapultepec  are  two  very  fine  monuments, 
one  to  Columbus  and  another  to  Montezuma — this 
latter  a  tardy  honor  bestowed  upon  a  brave,  unfor- 
tunate monarch,  defeated,  dethroned,  tortured  and 
finally  murdered  by  perfidous  Spanish  invaders 
moved  by  the  greed  for  gold.  Our  blood  boils  with 
indignation  as  we  remember  the  abuse  of  generous 
hospitality,  the  cruel  injustice,  the  implacable  exer- 
cise of  wanton  power  exerted  by  the  Sj^aniards. 
What  scenes  of  carnage  and  unavailing  sacrifice, 
what  mortal  agonies,  what  groans  of  despair  have 
been  witnessed  l)y  these  calm  skies  and  cold  moun- 
tains !  Is  there  a  just  avenger  who  notes  the  afi'airs  of 
men?  Doubt  not — "Justice  and  truth  will  in  the 
end  certainly  prevail,  and  if  at  times  it  seems  other- 
wise, it  is  because  we  see  tlie  middle  and  not  the 
end."     "The   mills  of   the   gods  grind  slowly,  but 


44  Xotefi  of  Travel. 

they  grind  oxcecdingly  small.''  "Every  man  shall 
receive  according  to  the  deeds  done  in  the  body, 
whether  they  are  good  or  whether  they  are  bad." 

We  soon  reached  the  magnificent  height,  now 
crowned  by  a  palace  and  fortress,  and  used  by  the 
government  as  a  military  school.  A  winding  road, 
bordered  Avith  trees  placed  there  through  the  munifi- 
cence of  the  unhappy  queen  Carlotta,  leads  up  to  the 
citadel.  A  wonderful  view  is  presented  from  the 
walls  ;  a  verdant  plain,  a  grand  range  of  mountains, 
over  which  towers  the  snow-clad  giant  Popocatapetl, 
seventeen  thousand  five  hundred  feet  high — a  third  of 
a  mile  higher  than  REont  Blanc.  Near  him  lies  Ixta- 
cihuatl  (the  woman  in  white)  another  snowy  volcano, 
which  bears  resemblance  to  a  woman  in  a  recumbent 
posture,  covered  with  a  white  shroud.  An  interest- 
ing legend  is  that  this  mountain  was  the  wife  of  the 
giant  Popocatapetl ;  in  a  moment  of  jealous  rage  he 
struck  her  dead,  and  for  ages  afterward  gave  vent  to 
grief  and  remorse  in  awful  volcanic  throes  and  storms 
of  ashes  and  fire. 

We  saw,  at  this  most  interesting  place,  the  slight 
monument  that  marks  the  battlefield  of  Moline  del 
Eey,  where  Gen.  Winfield  Scott  gained  a  victory  over 
the  Mexican  army ;  also  the  place  where  he  stormed 
and  carried  the  heights ;  Avhere  Gen.  Ransom  fell, 
for  whom  our  St.  Albans  guards  were  named.  In 
rear  of  the  fortress  a  lofty  monument  honors  "The 
memory  of  Mexican  cadets  who  fell  by  the  hands  of 
American  invaders." 

The   palace  now  in  process  of  reconstruction  we 


JVofes  of  Travel.  45 

were  not  allowed  to  enter.  A  more  fortunate  visitor 
describes  it  thus : 

"  The  woodwork  and  upholstering  of  the  east  wing 
alone  cost  two  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  fres- 
coing was  executed  by  a  pupil  of  Meissonier.  Ui)on 
the  roof  is  a  beautiful  garden  of  flowers  and  foun- 
tains. The  gates  are  carved  and  ornamented  in 
bronze.  The  woodwork  of  the  president's  room  is 
ebony  and  gold.  The  bath-room  is  a  grotto  with  a 
floor  of  marble  mosaics,  the  walls  of  French  tiles. 
The  floor  of  the  card-room  is  a  parquet  of  rare  woods, 
the  walls  are  of  Cordova  leather,  with  gold  and  satin 
joanels,  and  red  velvet  borders.  The  parlor  is  a 
fairy  creation.  The  wood  work  is  finished  with 
satin  panels,  marble  borders  and  gold  flowers.  The 
walls  are  covered  witli  satin  damask,  relieved  by  blue 
and  gold  Aubusson  borders." 

Our  guides  were  youths  connected  with  the  mili- 
tary school,  who  took  pleasure  in  pointing  out  the 
halls,  dormitories,  recitation  rooms  and  stone  stair- 
ways. 

Upon  our  descent  from  the  citadel  we  stopped  in 
a  grand  but  melancholy  grove  of  ancient  cypress  trees, 
overgrown  with  long,  gray  moss.  We  paced  around 
the  giant  tree  named  for  the  unhappy  Montezuma, 
and  found  it  sixty-three  feet  in  circumference. 

After  leaving  Chapultepec  Ave  visited  the  residence 
of  the  Yscandons,  a  family  perhaps  the  richest  of  the 
Mexican  grandees,  whose  wealth  consists  of  uncount- 
ed, unknown  millions.  A  card  of  admission  oj^ened 
the  gates  of  the  grounds  and  doors  of  the  mansion. 


46  yotes  of  Travel. 

The  family  being  absent,  an  old  servant  was  our 
guide. 

The  grounds  are  irregularly  laid  out  with  graveled 
and  mosaic  walks,  and  ornamented  with  groves, 
clumps  and  rows  of  trees,  beautiful  gardens,  ponds, 
swimming  baths  or  tanks  for  men  and  horses,  fine 
stables,  arbors  and  a  greenhouse  in  the  dome  of 
which  a  vine  had  clustered  so  redundant  with  rose- 
colored  flowers  as  to  give  the  impression  of  a  pink 
cloud.  Swans  floated  in  the  ponds,  scores  of  rabbits 
hopped  back  and  forth  through  their  yards  and  war- 
rens, and  in  the  tall  trees  some  large  brown  birds 
kept  up  a  peculiar  clamor.  There  was  a  miniature 
house  of  brick,  perfect  in  all  its  furniture  and 
appointments,  built  expressly  for  the  delectation  of 
children;  also  a  private  family  chapel  with  stained 
glass  windows,  carj^ets,  praying  stools  and  other 
church  furniture,  and  lighted  by  a  wonderful  hang- 
ing alabaster  lamp. 

The  exterior  of  the  mansion  is  handsome,  but  not 
pretentious.  The  interior  is  a  palace.  The  middle 
of  the  building  is  as  usual  a  court,  but  in  this  in- 
stance roofed  in  by  a  crystal  dome ;  columns  of  a 
creamy  tint  support  the  encircling  galleries  and  sur- 
round the  grand  drawing-room  which  occupies  the 
centre  on  the  ground  floor.  Filling  the  middle  of 
this  magnificent  apartment,  directly  beneath  the 
dome,  is  a  group  of  life-size  figures  on  a  large  pedes- 
tal, supporting  an  immense  chandelier — all  in  purest 
gilt.  Near  this  group  is  a  double  divan  with  vases 
of  artificial  flowers  upon  the  broad  arms.     From  this 


J^otes  of  Travel..  47 

centre  we  passed  between  the  pillars  to  wings  open- 
ing out  of  the  drawing-room,  making  a  unique  and 
spacious  apartment,  into  which  has  been  gathered 
from  all  parts  of  the  world  rare  and  costly  furniture. 
Sujjerb  cabinets  were  loaded  with  Dresden  china,  the 
largest  and  richest  designs  we  have  seen,  bronzes, 
Venetian  figures,  tables  and  cabinets  inlaid  with  ivor}', 
statues,  gilt  chairs,  sofas  and  other  seats  of  peculiar 
construction,  clocks,  rare  and  rich,  an  orchestron,  a 
piano  and  various  works  of  virtu  crowded  every  a})art- 
ment.  Bay  windows  were  screened  off  by  marble  rail- 
ings and  curtained  jjillars ;  family  portraits  of  Spanish 
type  and  various  other  pictures  hung  upon  the  walls. 

One  picture  Avas  unique  and  strangely  effective.  It 
was  a  polished  stone  tablet  or  panel  three  feet  by 
two,  marked  and  clouded  by  some  freak  of  nature  as 
a  stormy  sky  and  tempestuous  sea.  Upon  this 
gloomy  background  had  been  painted  a  ship  and 
group  of  figures  which  represented  the  disciple  Peter 
walking  upon  the  Sea  of  Galilee  to  meet  his  Master. 
The  carpets  on  this  floor  were  principally  Aubusson. 

We  ascended  the  marble  stairway,  which  divides 
into  two  flights  at  the  first  landing  and  found  our- 
selves in  a  circular  corridor  that  opens  into  chambers 
and  dormitories.  Here  was  evidence  of  the  same 
uncalculating  luxury  and  expense.  All  the  world 
had  paid  tribute  to  the  demands  of  unstinted  wealth. 
The  windows  of  some  of  these  rooms  open  upon  bal- 
conies built  on  the  roofs  of  broad  verandas ;  these  are 
hedged  in  with  metal  railings  upon  which,  at  regular 
intervals,  life-size  bronze  figures  are  placed. 


48  jSTofes  of  Travel. 

We  passed  out  of  this  palace  through  a  veranda 
that  particuhirly  impressed  me.  It  was  entirely  of 
marble  except  the  floor,  which  was  of  encaustic  tile. 
It  was  about  tVenty  feet  by  ten  in  size.  In  the 
heavy  side  walls  were  windows  disclosing  a  view  of 
the  grounds  in  each  direction ;  the  roof  was  upheld 
in  front  by  stately  pillars.  Growing  jjlants,  vases, 
seats  and  skins  of  wild  beasts  on  the  floor,  made  the 
furniture. 

As  we  left  this  Mexican  Eldorado  many  solemn 
thoughts  surged  through  the  mind  ;  even  the  Yscan- 
dons  with  all  their  wealth  and  power  can  not  purchase 
exemption  from  the  common  lot  of  humanity.  They, 
too,  must  sufl^er  disai)pointment  and  pain ;  they,  too, 
must  groAv  old  and  die.  Then,  as  the  sunlight 
streamed  u]3on  the  glittering  scene,  came  a  verse  of 
Thomas  Campbell's  address  by  the  Last  Man  to  the 
fading  orb  of  day  : 

"  WHiiU  tlKuigh  Ijeneath  thee  man  puts  forth 

His  priile,  liis  pomp  anil  skill, 
And  arts  that  made  tire,  Held  and  wood 

The  vassals  of  his  will; 
Yet  mourn  1  not  thy  parted  sway, 
Thou  dim,  discrowned  kin;;  of  day. 

For  all  the  tropliied  arts 
And  triumphs  that  beneatli  the  sprang, 
Healed  not  a  passion  nor  a  pang 
Entailed  on  human  licarts." 

We  decided  to  visit  Vera  Cruz,  on  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  It  is  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  miles 
from  the  city  of  Mexico,  over  one  of  the  most  won- 
derful railroads  in  the  world,  built  by  English  skill 
and  ca2)ital  at  a  cost  of  twenty-seven  millions  of  dol- 


JSfotes  of  Travel.  49 

lars.  The  Bellevne,  it  was  feared,  was  too  long  to 
round  the  sharp  curves,  as  a  special  car,  the  "Yellow- 
stone," about  the  same  length,  had  struck  the  rocks 
a  few  days  previous.  Mr.  Jackson,  of  the  Mexican 
Central,  kindly  offered  his  car,  which  has  often  made 
the  trip  and  is  esteemed  perfectly  safe.  Greatly  to 
our  satisfaction,  Mr.  McKenzie  arranged  to  accom- 
pany us.  Although  he  has  been  in  this  country  three 
years,  he  had  never  taken  this  trip,  and  it  gave  him 
three  days  of  much  needed  rest  from  his  arduous 
duties. 

March  3rd,  at  five  a.  m.,  we  moved  out  of  the  Mexi- 
can Central  depot  on  our  way  to  Vera  Cruz.  Miles 
of  agave  plantations  border  the  rail  and  stretch  away 
to  the  base  of  the  distant  Cordilleras.  The  volcanoes 
Popocatapetl  and  The  Lady  in  White  aj^pear  high 
above  the  horizon,  like  clouds  in  the  sky.  At  length 
snow-clad  Orizabe — star  of  the  sky — reared  his  awful 
front ;  the  mountain  walls  that  encircle  this  vast 
plain  increased  in  size  and  grandeur  as  we  ascend  to 
the  highest  point,  eight  thousand  feet  above  sea 
level.  They  grew  momentarily  higher  and  nearer, 
till  the  cook,  who  is  an  old  traveler  on  this  route, 
sent  in  word  that  we  had  better  dine  at  once,  as  all 
our  senses  would  soon  be  required  for  the  scenes 
through  which  we  must  pass. 

We  hardly  finished  our  hasty  meal  before  exclama- 
tions of  surprise  brought  us  all  to  the  door  of  the  car. 
Mountains  tower  up  all  around  us  thousands  of  feet 
in  height,  piled  Alps  on  Alps;  high,  massive  walls 
seem  to  topple  over  the  narrow  path ;  horrible  rents 


50  Kotes  of  Travel. 

in  their  sides  disclose  precipices  hundreds  of  feet 
beneath  ns.  Our  Avay  lies  over  awful  chasms ;  we 
are  suspended  above  bottomless  abysses;  we  look 
down  into  measureless  crevices ;  we  shudder  and  hold 
our  breath  lest  even  a  sigh  should  throw  us  oflf  the 
slender  track.  We  remember  the  spirit-bridge  Chine- 
vet  across  the  abyss  Duyhak  of  Persian  mythology, 
over  which  the  souls  of  the  dead  must  essay  to  pass 
if  they  would  attain  the  home  of  the  blessed. 

We  have  reached  the  perilous  barranca  del  Metlac, 
a  gorge  a  thousand  feet  deej).  Along  a  narrow  shelf 
of  the  mountain  the  engine  slowly  drags  the  heavy 
train  up  a  steep  grade,  and  at  the  same  time  around 
a  horse  shoe  curve,  having  a  radius  of  only  three 
hundred  and  fifty-eight  feet.  To  increase  the  terror 
of  this  tremendous  pass,  the  ascending  curve  includes 
two  iron  trestle  bridges  over  yawning  chasms,  and 
five  tunnels  through  solid  rock. 

We  see  this  miracle  of  engineering  in  the  twilight, 
made  more  awful  by  the  shadow  of  the  dark,  high 
mountains  piled  around  in  grand  confusion.  I  think 
the  most  stolid  natures  must  breathe  easier  and  offer 
a  grateful  j)rayer  as  they  emerge  from  the  gloom  of 
this  awful  i^ass  and  no  longer  hang  in  a  frail  wooden 
box  upon  slender  wires  over  a  bottomless  pit.  In 
the  valleys  beneath,  of  which  we  get  occasional 
glimpses,  farms  and  houses  look  diminutive  as  a  toy 
Swiss  village.  But  tlie  double  rail  holds  fast,  and 
we  creep  slowly  from  height  to  height.  Long  fur- 
rows scar  the  mountain  sides ;  the  rock  cuts  unveil 
beds  of  lava  thrown  from  long-forootten  volcanoes. 


JSfotes  of  Travel.  51 

In  fancy's  flight  we  view  the  terrific  majesty  of  the 
scene  when  these  mountains  were  heaving  waves  on 
an  ocean  of  fire,  and  almost  shiver  as  we  think  of  the 
cold  blast  that  swept  over,  hardened  and  petrified 
their  wrinkled  crests  into  these  gigantic  forms. 

We  wind  round  the  rocky  pass,  one  moment  among 
the  clouds,  and  anon  crossing  the  hollow  plain,  again 
ascending  the  heights  and  swinging  above  a  ghastly 
chasm  through  which  roars  a  torrent ;  our  lives  hang 
upon  a  slender  trestle ;  a  thread  suspends  us  over  an 
abyss  that  bears  the  name  of  Hell  ! 

The  train  stops  at  the  station  of  Orizabe,  we  walk 
upon  the  platform,  rejoicing  that  we  are  once  more 
on  terra  firma.  We  have  reached  the  Tierras  Cali- 
entes,  or  Hot  Lands.  Flowers  load  the  trees  and 
line  the  pathway.  Banana,  cocoanut,  orange,  lemon, 
palm,  coffee  and  olive  trees,  the  eucalyptus,  cullo- 
dian,  hibiscus,  sugar  cane,  indigo  plant,  parrots, 
monkeys,  lizards — we  see  all  these.  The  sun  is  hot. 
We  are  within  the  tropics. 

We  reach  Vera  Cruz  at  eight  o'clock  p.  m.,  but 
swift-footed  night  precedes  us,  and  it  is  quite  dark ; 
no  lingering  twilight  ekes  out  the  tropical  day. 


Cl)aptcr  ^i^* 

VERA   CRUZ. 

HEAT  AND  PESTILEXCE  —  ON  THE  GL'LF  —  IN  THE 
DUNGEONS — BKIGHTER  SCENES  —  SUNDAY  IN  MEX- 
ICO—  THE    BULL    FIGHT. 

MR.  POWELL,  Superintendent  of  the  Mole,  is 
waiting  at  the  station  with  a  welcome.  The 
thermometer  in  his  office,  at  this  hour,  regis- 
ters 82°.  Mr.  Powell  is  an  English  gentleman,  who 
has  lived  twenty  years  in  this  fever-stricken  country, 
fought  the  dreaded  foe  and  come  off  conqueror.  He 
acknowledged  the  fearful  sanitary  condition  of  the 
city,  hut  says  there  is  no  yellow  fever  at  present,  nor 
will  there  be  until  rain  falls  and  the  burning  sun 
heats  the  yellow  pools ;  then  the  fatal  germs  ascend 
and  fill  the  steaming  air.  The  plague  rages  through 
July  and  August,  the  rainy  months,  sometimes  repro- 
ducing itself  for  more  than  a  year.  Here  it  is  seen 
in  its  most  malignant  form  ;  the  cause  is  su2)posed  to 
exist  in  a  soil  saturated  with  i)oison  from  defective 
drainage. 

A  night  of  intense  heat  followed  our  arrival,  and 
the  morning  of  March  -Ith  brought  in  a  still  warmer 
day.  Our  kind  friend,  Mr.  Powell,  took  us  in  his 
barge,  with  four  stout  rowers,  and  for  the  first  time 


JSfofex  of  Travel.  53 

in  our  lives  we  flouted  upon  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
The  water  was  calm  but  for  a  dead  swell  (the  heel  of 
an  old  storm)  and  beautifully  blue  and  transparent. 
A  few  sturdy  strokes  of  the  oar  brought  us  out  into 
the  bay,  from  which  we  obtained  the  best  view  of 
this  picturesque  city,  with  its  glittering  white  toAvers, 
domes  and  walls,  built  after  the  Spanish  adaptation 
of  Moorish  architecture.  Some  of  the  towers  are 
beautifully  faced  with  colored  tile.  The  harbor  is  a 
bad  one,  the  waters  of  the  bay  being  shallow  and  full 
of  coral  reefs,  over  which  the  sea  breaks  with  a  sol- 
emn, warning  sound.  By  Mr.  Powell's  order,  our 
light  boat  was  brought  alongside  one  of  the  reefs,  and 
looking  down  into  the  transparent  water  we  saw 
the  coral  ledges  beneath  us  and  felt  the  beauty  of  Dr. 
Holmes'  poem,  "The  Chambered  Nautilus": 


"  Ours  is  the  venturous  bark  that  llings 
On  the  summer  wind  its  imrple  wings 
In  gulfs  enchanted,  wliere  the  siren  sings 
And  coral  reefs  lie  bare, 
Where  the  cold  sea  maids  rise  to  sun  their  streaming  hair. 


How  dreamlike  it  seemed  as  we  trailed  our  hands 
in  the  waves  and  watched  the  pelicans,  albatross  and 
sea  gulls  float  around  the  reefs  or  stalk  through  the 
shoals  in  unconcerned  dignity. 

And  at  this  very  hour  a  fierce  blizzard  swept  over 
our  northern  home;  man  and  beast  were  cowering 
before  the  fury  of  an  arctic  storm. 

In  the  bay  of  Vera  Cruz  lies  the  island  of  San  Luis 
del  Ulua,  upon  which  is  a  large  prison  jlnd  fortress. 


54  yotes  of  Travel. 

Almost  before  we  are  aware  of  it,  our  boat  passed 
under  the  shadow  of  a  Mexican  man-of-war  and 
grazed  the  wall  of  the  fortress.  We  stepped  out  and 
found  ourselves  on  a  paved  walk  leading  to  the  castle ; 
walls,  towers,  pavements  all  of  coral.  We  enter  the 
court,  the  commandant  welcomes  us,  details  a  captain 
as  guide,  and  before  we  can  realize  the  tremendous 
change  whict  has  so  unexpectedly  come  over  our  sur- 
roundings, from  summer  skies  and  tropic  seas  we  pass 
through  stony  halls,  at  each  step  darker,  dirtier,  more 
noisome,  till  we  find  ourselves  among  horrible  wretch- 
es in  dungeons,  where  daylight  enters  only  through  a 
narrow  slit  in  a  heavy  Avail. 

It  was  too  dreadful.  I  begged  the  guide  to  take 
us  away,  which  he  did,  but  only  to  lead  us  into  other 
cells  still  darker  and  more  loathsome,  shaped  like  a 
close  jar,  into  which  criminals  were  once  lowered 
through  the  one  opening  at  the  top,  but  which  now 
were  entered  by  narrow  doors. 

The  sides  of  these  vaults  were  dripping  with  moist- 
ure, dull  brown  stalactites  hung  from  the  ceilings ; 
the  air  was  so  foul  we  held  our  breath.  The  wretched 
inmates  crowded  around  us  offering  wares  made  from 
the  shells  of  cocoanuts,  often  carved  with  much  skill. 
Their  faces  were  brutal,  their  black  hair  was  long 
and  matted ;  their  prison  clothing  was  unclean,  and 
as  we  passed  by  they  cried  out  in  mournful  tones, 
"Pity  us,  senoritas !  pity  us,  senoritas!"  We  were 
greatly  moved  at  their  sad  fate  and  forgot  their 
crimes,  but  the  captain  smiled  and  informed  us  that 
they  were  criminals  of  the  very  worst  type  and  that 


N'otes  of  Travel.  55 

one  of  the  men  was  under  condemnation  for  murder- 
ing and  eating  his  own  children, 

Alas !  they  who  had  shown  no  mercy  to  others 
craved  pity  for  themselves. 

To  this  fortress  and  to  the  fatal  swamps  of  Yuca- 
tan, the  government  sends  these  miserable  offenders, 
where  the  yellow  fever  soon  does  the  executioner's 
fatal  work  and  spares  the  hangman's  rope.  No  record 
is  given  of  the  termination  of  their  wretched  lives ; 
the  doors  of  the  prison  close  against  them  and  the 
world  knows  them  no  more.  We  bought  some  of 
their  wares,  and  gladly  hastened  from  the  depressing 
scene.  I  said  to  Mr.  Powell,  upon  re-entering  the  boat, 
'*  Ah,  if  we  had  known  what  was  before  us  we  should 
utterly  have  refused  to  land." 

"Of  course  you  would,"  he  replied  pleasantly,  "that 
is  the  reason  I  did  not  inform  you.  It  would  never 
answer  for  you  to  leave  Vera  Cruz  without  seeing  the 
prison  of  San  Luis.  You  will  not  regret  this  ex- 
perience. " 

Our  bark  sped  gaily  over  the  blue  water,  while  the 
commander  explained  the  powerful  enginery  on  the 
wharves  used  for  the  lading  and  unlading  of  ships. 
We  landed  and  examined  the  hulls  of  vessels  attacked 
by  the  terrido,  a  destructive  worm  that  infests  the 
waters  of  the  gulf  and  disables  the  stoutest  ships. 
Nothing  but  copper  sheathing  can  resist  its  tiny  but 
relentless  jaws. 

We  went  back  to  our  car  in  the  broiling  sun ;  we 
had  no  thermometer,  but  felt  sure  the  register  would 
be  well  up  in  the  90's,  and  this  on  the  4th  day  of 


56  Notes  of  Trurd. 

March.  At  ten  a.  ni.  wc  took  leave  of  our  kind  liost 
and  were  soon  on  onrAvay  back  to  the  City  of  Mexico^ 
ghid  to  emerge  from  the  Tierras  Calientes. 

We  had  for  dinner  tliis  day  a  fish  called  i)onipano, 
found  in  thirty  fathoms  of  water,  tlie  flesh  of  which^ 
wliite  and  tender,  is  Justly  esteemed  a  great  delicacy. 

We  reached  Orizabe  at  eight  p.  m.,  and  remained 
over  night.  M.  Shirley,  superintendent  of  the  rail- 
road, again  met  us  and  offered  his  aid.  We  are  in- 
debted to  the  officers  of  this  road  and  of  the  Mexican 
Central  for  many  favors  which  we  shall  not  soon 
forget. 

The  next  morning,  March  oth,  while  we  were  at 
breakfast,  the  peon  (who  had  done  the  braking  for 
our  car  the  day  previous,  and  to  whom  the  young 
ladies  gave  a  trifle  of  money),  came  rushing  across 
the  track  dressed  in  his  Sunday  suit  of  blue,  gay 
sombrero  and  dashy  red  neckerchief.  His  face  was 
wreathed  in  smiles,  his  hands  were  filled  with  bou- 
quets. He  sprang  upon  the  steps  of  the  car,  the 
door  was  opened  ;  with  a  graceful  bow  he  presented 
the  flowers  and  retired.  The  Mexican  peon  is  noth- 
ing if  not  polite. 

The  day  was  uncomfortably  Avarm,  though  cool 
winds  from  the  home  of  perpetual  snow  moderated 
the  heat.  We  strolled  tlirough  the  streets  of  Orizabe 
which  is  in  order,  cleanliness  and  thrift,  superior  to 
any  other  Mexican  city  it  had  been  our  fortune  to 
visit.  Glimpses  through  the  grated  window^s  disclosed 
pretty  sitting-rooms  and  bed-chambers,  neat  and  com- 
fortable furniture,  halls  and  courts  full  of  flowers,. 


JS'otes  of  Travel,  57 

gardens  rank  with  banana  and  coffee  trees,  and  slirubs 
with  enormous  tubuLir  white  blossoms,  the  name  of 
which  we  did  not  learn. 

In  one  of  the  gardens  a  school  of  children  were 
seated  under  the  trees  repeating  aloud  their  lessons 
in  concert — a  very  pretty  arcadian  scene.  We  visited 
the  market,  returning  through  the  shady  Alameda, 
and  after  a  walk  of  several  miles,  reached  the  cars  at 
ten  a.  m.,  the  hour  fixed  for  our  departure. 

Again  we  climbed  tremendous  heights,  swung  upon 
a  wire  of  steel  over  awful  abysses,  looked  up  to  snow- 
capped mountains  and  down  into  dark  ravines.  Here, 
in  the  unremembered  past,  the  forces  of  nature  con- 
tended for  mastery.  Oh,  the  groaning,  hissing,  heav- 
ing, thundering,  roaring  that  racked  the  elements,  be- 
fore Form  and  Silence  subdued  the  struggling  giants 
Fire  and  Water.  And  what  has  been,  will  be.  What 
tremendous  changes  must  yet  be  wrought  upon  the 
earth.  What  tides  of  humanity  drifting  around  the 
globe ;  families,  tribes,  nations,  races,  willing  or  un- 
willing, driven,  like  autumn  leaves  before  the  gale, 
until  the  grand  cycle  is  completed  and  the  great  cos- 
mic night  shall  fall ! 

We  reached  the  City  of  ]\rcxico  at  eight  p.  m.,  and 
the  next  day  made  our  final  shopping  tour,  called 
upon  our  friends,  and  received  a  pressing  invitation 
from  our  accomplished  American  minister,  General 
Jackson,  to  remain  for  a  grand  dinner  —  an  honor 
which  we  were  compelled  to  decline, 

Sunday,  March  7th,  was  our  last  day  in  the  city. 
We  went  to  the  Cathedral  in  the  moruinsr.     This  im- 


58  2^otes  of  Travel. 

mense  edifice  is  five  luindred  feet  long  and  four  hun- 
dred and  twenty  feet  broad ;  so  large  that  several 
priests,  in  different  parts  of  the  building,  were  saying 
mass  at  the  same  time.  Here  were  to  be  seen  thou- 
sands of  kneeling  worshippers.  All  classes  were  rep- 
resented; abject  peon  mothers  with  babies  in  their 
arms;  hideous  Indians  in  tatters;  poor  deformed 
wretches,  elegantly  dressed  senors  and  senoras,  all 
kneeling  indiscriminately  upon  the  stone  floor ;  some 
with  eyes  devoutly  closed,  some  staring  at  each  other 
or  at  the  strangers. 

The  sight  of  this  motley  crowd,  so  abject,  so  rever- 
ent, so  immoral,  moved  me  greatly.  Everybody  tells 
the  same  sad  story :  their  religion  is  worn  upon  the 
sleeve,  it  affects  not  their  life,  which  is  blackened  by 
deceit,  dishonesty  and  sensuality.  To  church  in  the 
morning,  to  the  bull  fight  in  the  afternoon ;  in  fact, 
Sunday  is  the  only  time  when  the  brutal  exhibition 
can  be  witnessed ;  to  the  pawnbrokers  on  Monday 
with  the  pelf  gotten  on  Sunday. 

The  bull  ring  is  about  seven  miles  from  the  city, 
and  it  is  painful  to  a  humane  soul  to  witness  the 
departure  of  railroad  trains  loaded  with  men  and 
women  of  high  caste  and  low,  that  desecrate  each 
Sabbath  day  and  their  own  higher  nature,  by  rushing 
to  this  place  of  infernal  recreation.  The  bull  fight  is 
an  outgrowth  of  Spanish  ferocity,  the  original  idea 
of  which  presup2)osed  skill  and  courage  in  the  pica- 
dors and  matadors,  but  I  am  informed  that  the  sport 
has  degenerated  into  the  slow  butchery  of  five  or  six 
tortured  bulls  and  horses,  screens  being  placed  for 


Notes  of  Travel.  59 

tlie  ready  protection  of  the  men.  Occasionally,  how- 
ever, a  bull  gets  the  advantage,  and  if  a  man  or  a 
horse  is  tossed  and  ripped  np,  the  delighted  specta- 
tors rend  the  air  with  cries  of  "Bravo!  Good  for 
the  bull !     Good  for  the  bull ! " 

What  can  be  expected  of  a  people  whose  hours  of 
Sabbath  relaxation  are  spent  amid  such  brutalizing 
atrocities  ?  Alas,  through  what  awful  struggles  must 
these  souls  pass  if  they  ever  attain  to  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  I 

After  church  we  walked  to  the  Alameda  or  public 
park,  to  listen  to  a  sacred  concert.  Three  bauds  were 
distributed  through  the  ample  groves,  who  dispensed 
music  of  the  lightest,  gayest  character. 

In  the  evening  our  friends  called  to  bid  us  fare- 
well ;  we  part  from  them  with  regret,  appreciating 
their  great  kindness,  and  hoping  we  may  in  some  way 
be  able  to  return  it. 


Cl)aptcr  ^cbcm 

FAREWELL  TO   MEXICO. 

ITS  CLIMATE  AND  PEOPLE  —  THE  RETURN  JOURNEY — 
CANYADA  DISHONESTY^— AT  SILAO  —  NEW  MEXICO 
— DESERTS  AND  DANGERS  —  INDIANS  —  A  SAND 
STORM. 

ALTHOUGH  Mexico  borders  upon  our  own  land, 
it  is  comparatively  terra  incognita,  and  in  many 
respects  more  interesting  to  the  traveler  than 
Europe.  The  republic  consists  of  twenty-seven 
states,  one  territory,  and  one  district.  It  has  thirty- 
five  large  cities,  a  population  of  nine  millions,  and  an 
area  of  seven  hundred  and  sixty-two  scpiare  miles. 
It  boasts  every  variety  of  climate  and  production, 
and,  with  the  excejition  of  the  state  of  Vera  Cruz, 
it  is  salubrious  and  delightful;  the  weather  never 
interferes  with  out-door  labor.  The  mining  resources 
of  Mexico  are  inex;haustible ;  with  irrigation  and 
proper  mechanical  apjdiances,  the  agricultural  and 
horticultural  loossibilities  are  incalculable. 

Though  the  atmosphere  is  dry  and  the  few  rivers 
anything  but  a  blessing,  Mexico  is  supplied  with  sev- 
eral wonderful  springs  which  burst  from  the  moun- 
tain sides  in  a  manner  little  short  of  miraculous. 
There  is  one  of  these  marvels  of  nature  on  the  Vera 


JSfotes  of  Travel.  6i 

Cruz  railroad,  that  disclosed  itself  Avlien  a  rock  was 
blasted  during  the  construction.  That  at  Augua 
Calientes  is  of  hot  water.  The  water  of  Lake  Texcoco 
is  salt,  but  the  City  of  Mexico  is  bountifully  supplied 
with  pure,  clear  spring  water  from  the  heights  of 
Chapultepec.  We  saw  this  astonishing  stream  rush 
into  the  reservoir  like  a  river,  from  whence  it  is  car- 
ried to  the  city  in  great  conduits.  It  rises  to  the 
desired  height  by  its  own  pressure,  and  is  not  affect- 
ed by  drought  or  rainfall. 

The  floating  gardens  in  Lake  Texcoco  we  did  not 
visit  for  want  of  time.  Their  ancient  splendor  has 
departed.  In  fact,  they  are  no  longer  floating,  nor  are 
they  now  gardens,  except  for  culinary  vegetables  and 
fruits.  Nevertheless  they  are  thronged  with  a  native 
population  who  preserve  the  ancient  methods  more 
perfectly  on  these  fertile  islands  than  in  the  city,  and 
are  consequently  objects  of  great  interest. 

The  dress,  habits,  dwellings  and  many  of  the  man- 
ufactures suggest  Italy,  Syria  and  the  Semetic  tribes. 
In  describing  the  peasant  woman  a  writer  remarks  : 
"  She  is  the  representative  of  a  race  whose  civilization 
is  coeval  with  the  palmiest  days  of  Egypt  and  Persia. 
Like  her  sister  on  the  Ganges,  the  Nile  and  the 
Euphrates,  she  makes  tortillas,  or  unleavened  bread ; 
she  carries  water  on  her  head  as  gracefully  as  Eebecca, 
and  spins  like  Penelope." 

While  our  English  ancestors  were  barbarians,  living 
in  mud  huts,  clad  in  the  skins  of  Avild  beasts,  there  ex- 
isted in  Central  America  a  mighty  and  highly  civilized 
nation,  of  which  the  Mexican  peon  and  his  curious 


62  Notes  of  Travel. 

mauufacturcs  are  now  but  a  fast-fading  reminiscence  ; 
for,  with  such  a  magnificent  country,  and  every 
natural  advantage  unchanged,  and  a  raih-oad  one 
thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty-four  miles  long 
through  the  centre  of  the  state,  built  by  American 
enterprise  at  a  cost  of  sixty  millions  of  dollars,  the 
nation  now  shows  marks  of  decay  and  dissolution. 
The  masses  are  superstitious,  immoral  and  cruel; 
this  last  characteristic  is  an  inevitable  sequence  of  the 
others  ;  they  are  dull  and  deficient  in  nerve-power ;  de- 
formed, maimed  and  crii)pled  persons  abound  ;  there  is 
no  enterprise,  no  element  of  progress.  When  urged  to 
labor  or  action,  the  universal  answer  is,  '*  To-morrow." 

The  government  is  faithless,  unstable,  always  on 
the  verge  of  revolution. 

In  leaving  this  beautiful  country,  so  favored  by 
nature,  so  cursed  by  man,  many  questions  force  them- 
selves upon  the  mind  of  the  philosopher  and  philan- 
thropist. "What  causes  have  operated  to  produce  its 
tribal  and  social  conditions,  so  similar  in  many  re- 
spects to  that  of  Italy  and  the  Orient  ?  Are  they  the 
effect  of  an  arid  and  equable  climate  ?  Are  they  due  to 
the  laws  of  heredity  ?  How  far  are  the  individuals  who 
compose  that  mixed  i)opulation  responsible  ?  What 
will  be  the  future  of  the  state  and  government?  What 
will  become  of  the  souls  of  these  teeming  millions  ? 

Who  can  answer  these  questions  ?  Who  can  fath- 
om the  mystery  of  the  universe,  the  mystery  of 
human  existence  ? 

Kot  one,  save  He  who  governs  all. 
"  He  knows,  He  knows." 


Notes  of  Travel.  62, 

Monday  morning  at  eight  o'clock  we  began  our 
northward  journey.  The  same  bright  sun,  singing 
birds  and  shimmering  trees  that  bade  us  welcome, 
now  bestowed  a  farewell  blessing. 

The  Journey  from  Silao  to  Mexico,  on  our  way 
doAvn,  was  performed  in  the  night.  On  our  return 
we  passed  over  that  portion  of  the  route  by  daylight. 
The  luxuriance  of  the  wonderful  valley  of  Canada 
was  an  astonishment  and  a  delight.  This  remarka- 
ble tract  of  land  lies  between  two  ranges  of  lofty 
mountains,  itself  at  an  altitude  of  five  thousand  feet. 
It  is  only  a  few  miles  long,  and  is  very  narrow,  yet 
here  can  be  produced  every  variety  of  fruit  and  veg- 
etable known  to  man.  It  is  a  bower,  a  jungle,  an 
Eden  of  richest  verdure. 

The  estates  of  the  Mexican  grandees  are  immense  ; 
one  belonging  to  Terrassa  is  eighty-two  miles  in 
length,  and  in  width  "extends  from  horizon  to 
horizon." 

There  are  three  crops  of  wheat  in  a  year.  Of 
many  productions  it  may  be  said  spring  time  and 
harvest  are  one.  At  Irapuato  strawberries  are  always 
in  season. 

Wc  learned  that  a  robbery  was  perpetrated  near 
Silao  on  March  2d.  A  party  of  mountain  brigands 
derailed  a  freight  train,  stole  the  contents  of  the  cars 
and  escaped.  They  were  pursued,  captured,  and  four- 
teen of  them  summarily  shot. 

We  had  a  personal  experience  on  a  small  scale,  of 
Mexican  methods  near  the  same  place.  One  of  our 
party  bought  a  quantity  of  fruit  while  waiting  at  the 


64  JTofes  of  'Travel. 

station.  She  stood  on  the  step  of  the  car  and  placed 
the  fruit  beside  her.  The  boy  took  the  money,  but 
returned  only  a  part  of  tho  cliange  which  was  due. 
The  purchaser  lield  out  her  hand  showing  tlie  defi- 
ciency and  exclaiming,  ''This  is  not  enough  !"  At 
that  moment  the  car  began  to  move  on,  and  the 
wretch  of  a  boy,  taking  advantage  of  the  situation, 
snatched  the  change  out  of  her  hand  and  at  the  same 
time  swept  the  fruit  off  the  step  on  to  the  ground, 
leaving  tlic  astonished  purchaser  minus  fruit  and 
money,  plus  a  lieavy  load  of  vexation  and  chagrin. 
The  increasing  motion  of  the  train  made  redress 
impossible,  but  the  conductor  said  that  he  would  see 
tliat  the  boy  was  punished,  as  there  was  no  lack  of 
witnesses  to  this  bold  larceny. 

We  remained  over  night  at  Silao,  and  as  some  of 
our  party  were  desirous  of  procuring  a  specialty  of 
the  place,  a  gentleman  who  resided  there  offered  to 
escort  them  to  the  shops.  After  their  return,  other 
gentlemen  who  were  calling  ujion  us  in  our  car,  ex- 
pressed surprise  that  we  should  have  allowed  any  of 
our  party  to  go  out  unarmed.  The  young  ladies 
replied  quite  nonchalantly,  "  Oh,  Mr.  Burton  had 
his  revolver  !"  I  believe  all  the  railroad  officials  carry 
weapons. 

This  same  evening  was  very  warm,  and  as  we  sat 
with  the  door  of  our  car  open,  a  crowd  of  beggarly 
creatures  surrounded  it,  staring  in  at  the  doors  and 
peering  in  through  the  windows.  Presently  four  lusty 
Mexicans,  armed  to  the  teeth  without,  and  primed 
by   whiskey   within,    came   upon  the   platform   and 


JSfotes  of  Travel.  65 

saluting,  asked  permission  to  enter.  Assent  was 
given ;  they  made  the  tour  of  the  car,  and  with  the 
usual  " Mil gracias,"  retired. 

March  9th  we  continued  our  journe}',  always  rumh- 
ling  along  over  vast  plains,  hemmed  in  by  lofty 
mountains.  So  perjietually  are  these  features  of 
landscape  reproduced,  we  wonder  if  we  are  not  the 
victims  of  illusion  or  enchantment,  forever  moving 
through  a  panorama  that  moves  with  us,  or  con- 
stantly reproduces  itself. 

About  six  o'clock  p.  m.  we  again  passed  the  height 
of  land  near  Zacatecas,  which  lies  like  a  celestial  city 
among  silver  hills  at  the  stupendous  altitude  of  eight 
thousand  and  forty-four  feet,  the  home  of  seventy- 
five  thousand  souls.  The  mules  are  still  climbing 
the  mountains  for  ore,  still  turning  the  clumsy  mills 
and  treading  out  the  harsh  mud  mixed  with  Yitrol 
and  mercury,  and  when  the  effect  of  the  deadly 
chemicals  have  rendered  them  no  longer  fit  for  ser- 
's'ice,  they  are  taken  out  and  mercilessly  shot.  Ah  ! 
many  changes  must  be  Avrought  in  human  economy 
before  this  world  will  become  a  second  Paradise  ! 

After  leaving  Lerdo,  the  great  cotton  mart  of  Mexi- 
co, the  verdure  disappears,  our  course  is  over  gray, 
sandy  plains,  producing  only  bunch  grass  and  mus- 
quit  bushes.  Still,  as  the  train  goes  on,  the  moun- 
tains pursue  and  hem  us  in.  We  reach  El  Paso 
after  three  days  and  two  nights  of  travel. 

Seventeen  days  have  passed  since  we  left  El  Paso 
on  our  outward  trip ;  during  this  time  we  have  trav- 
eled three  thousand  miles.     IIow  little  we  realize,  by 


66  JJotes  of  Travel. 

the  firesides  of  our  homes,  the  immensity  of  these 
distant  lands,  delineated  on  our  maps  by  less  than  a 
hand-breadth  !  "We  find  letters  from  home,  one  of 
which  reads  like  fiction  :  "March  2d.  For  six  mor- 
tal days  a  northwest  blizzard  has  raged — the  longest, 
coldest,  fiercest  storm  on  record.  Yesterday  the 
thermometer  registered  thirty  degrees  below  zero; 
the  wind  blew  a  hurricane.  In  the  gusts,  houses, 
fences  and  barns  would  disappear ;  the  house  would 
shake  as  if  about  to  be  crushed  in.  The  water-pipes 
have  burst  in  every  direction ;  we  are  in  danger  of  a 
water  famine.  With  a  raging  fire  in  the  furnace  I 
cannot  "Sleep  for  the  cold." 

During  these  days  we  were  in  the  Tierras  Calientes, 
amidst  tropical  heat  and  verdure. 

A  dull,  eventless,  objectless  ride  takes  us  to  Albu- 
querque in  New  Mexico,  through  a  monotony  of  gray 
plains  and  distant  mountains.  The  sluggish,  muddy 
Kio  Grande  struggles  through  the  flat  sands,  picking 
its  way  along  the  shallow  depressions,  sometimes 
stopping  to  dream  ;  no — pausing  from  very  vacuity  of 
thought,  forgetting  its  fluvial  destiny  and  degenerat- 
ing into  a  muddy  pool. 

How  unlike  our  dashing,  energetic,  crystal  streams, 
turning  wheels,  buoying  boats,  coquetting  with  flow- 
ery banks,  laughing  at  the  trees  whose  outstretched 
arms  vainly  imj^lore  them  to  linger. 

Poor,  dull  Rio  Grande  !  Neither  business  nor  pleas- 
ure await  thy  tardy  footsteps.  No  puffing  steamer 
with  trumpeting  engine,  no  noisy  mill  with  clamor- 
ous wheel,  no  gay  launch  with  music  and  laughter. 


JVotes  of  Travel.  6y 

rouse  thy  drowsy  energies  or  demand  thine  elemental 
aid.  No  waving  shrub  beckons,  no  bright-eyed  flower 
nods  a  mock  caress.  A  dreary,  joyless,  pulseless  life 
is  thine,  save  when  the  overburdened  skies  pour 
out  their  torrent  of  tears,  and  thou,  in  blind,  unreas- 
oning sympathy,  dost  rise  and  swell  in  fury,  carrying 
destruction  and  desolation  along  thy  path. 

March  12th  we  took  breakfast  in  our  car  at  a  place 
called  Luna — rightly  named,  for  it  is  naught  but 
moonshine.  Not  a  solitary  building,  not  even  a 
shanty,  marks  the  city's  centre  or  circumference.  A 
small  board  or  shingle  upholds  the  name  and  honor 
of  this  empty  place.  I  called  the  attention  of  the 
conductor  to  the  exceeding  smallness  of  the  city  of 
Luna.  He  acknowledged  the  fact  and  added : 
''  There  are  about  fifty  miles  to  a  man  in  this  part  of 
New  Mexico."  But  then,  it  would  take  about  fifty 
miles  of  sand,  wind  and  muddy  water  to  support 
one  man. 

In  this  territory  is  the  Navajaho  Indian  reserva- 
tion. There  seems  little  to  live  upon,  but  fortunately 
there  are  few  people  to  live.  Our  steward  went  into 
a  restaurant  on  the  line  of  the  railroad,  where  supper 
is  provided  for  passengers,  and  inquired  for  milk. 
''Milk!"  was  the  indignant  reply;  " I  haven't  seen 
a  drop  for  three  days.  How  can  you  expect  milk 
Avhere  there  are  iieither  cows,  goats,  or  even  asses?" 
A  horrible  suspicion  crosses  our  mind — the  milk  we 
have  been  drinking  never  came  from  a  Jersey  cow  ! 

At  midnight  we  passed  over  the  Canon  Diabolo, 
an  awful  fissure  in  the  mountains,  five  hundred  and 


68  yofes  of  Travel. 

forty  feet  in  width.  Across  this  yawning  gulf  an 
iron  trestle  bridge  is  suspended ;  above  it  towers  a 
lofty  mountain,  over  which,  at  this  solemn  hour,  the 
young  moon  peered  curiously,  but  was  powerless  to 
penetrate  the  black  shadows  in  its  depths.  Two  days 
ago,  as  a  freight  train  was  passing  near  this  place,  a 
boulder  became  loosened  from  the  height  above, 
rolled  doAvn,  struck  the  engine  and  hurled  it  into  the 
gulf  below.  The  engineer  saved  himself  by  jumping, 
but  tjie  fireman  was  killed  and  the  brakeman  badly 
injured.  Railroading  in  the  wilds  of  nature  is  no 
trifling  affair,  necessitating,  as  it  does,  horse-shoe  and 
reversed  curves,  along  almost  inaccessible  ledges, 
hair-hung  bridges  across  volcanic  gulfs,  and  embank- 
ments through  the  beds  of  treacherous  streams.  In 
the  construction  of  some  portions  of  these,  as  of  the 
Mexican  roads,  men  worked  on  the  sheer  precipice 
with  ropes  round  their  bodies  fastened  to  the  trunks 
of  trees,  the  debris  being  carried  away  in  1)la]ikots  on 
the  backs  of  men. 

At  the  stations  in  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  are  to 
be  seen  straggling  groups  of  nomad  Indians  of  differ- 
ent tribes,  always  ill-formed,  dark  creatures,  with 
coarse  faces  and  black  hair,  generally  hanging  down 
their  shoulders.  Most  of  the  men  wore  blankets,  but 
we  saw  some  young  bucks  with  only  a  cloth  around  the 
loins.  We  noticed  that  many  of  the  Mojaves  were 
painted  in  black,  blue  and  red  stripes  or  patches,  and 
have  since  learned  by  the  public  prints,  that  they  are 
now  on  the  war  path,  although  our  government  pro- 
vides for  their  support.     We  saw  one  young  buck  of 


JSfotes  of  Travel.  69 

the  Hualapai  tribe  on  horse  back,  hizily  trotting 
along  the  prairie,  while  his  squaw  ran  in  front  carry- 
ing the  baby,  a  spectacle  that  called  out  some  spicy 
comments  from  the  young  ladies  of  our  party. 

The  eastern  slope  of  the  divide  in  this  part  of  the 
continent  shovv's  unmistakable  evidence  of  the  reign 
of  fire ;  on  the  west  are  indications  of  the  domain  of 
Old  Ocean.  "  Here,"  says  a  recent  observer,  "many 
miles  from  either  fresh  or  salt  water,  may  be  found  the 
beach  of  an  ancient  ocean,  and,  thickly  scattered  on 
hill  and  dale,  once  unmistakably  forming  the  bottom 
of  the  forgotten  sea,  are  found  immense  whalebones, 
millions  of  shells  of  all  varieties  and  great  masses  of 
coral,  all  telling  more  plainly  than  written  book  the 
tale  of  some  gigantic  convulsion  of  nature  that  has 
driven  the  waters  back  to  their  present  bounds,  and 
left  a  dismal  waste  where  once  undoubtedly  the  ships 
of  mariners  in  the  long  ago  were  wont  to  float."  We 
crossed  the  great  Mojave  Desert.  So  barren,  deso- 
late and  vast  is  it  that  the  whistle  and  rush  of  the 
threadlike  train,  waking  echoes  that  have  slumbered 
for  milleniums,  seem  a  rash  desecration.  Trackless 
plains  of  sand  stretch  away  in  every  direction  to  the 
foot  of  purple  or  indigo  mountains,  sometimes  naught 
but  sand  or  clay,  and  sometimes  scraggy  Avitli  a  stunt- 
ed growth  of  nameless  gray  weeds,  whose  scowling 
aspect  seems  a  protest  against  the  fate  that  compels 
them  to  germinate  in  such  a  desolate  waste. 

Toward  night  a  sand  storm  came  on.  The  con- 
ductor hurried  in  and  warned  us  to  close  doors  and 
windows.     The  distant  landscape  disappeared,  a  gray 


yo  Xote:<  of  Travel. 

cloud  swallowed  up  the  scene,  the  wind  threatened  to 
be  dangerous,  but  only  a  wing  of  the  storm  crossed 
our  track.  Yet  the  meterological  disturbance  con- 
tinued, and  the  conductor  lay  by  on  a  shelf  of  the 
mountain  nearly  two  hours  in  the  night,  fearing  the 
train  would  be  blown  off  the  track ;  a  wise  precau- 
tion, for  even  then  the  cars  swayed  so  that  Ave  were 
almost  thrown  from  our  berths. 


Cl)aptcr  €i%\}t 

LOS   ANGELES. 

THE  CITRUS  LAXD — SAX  MONICA — THE  THIRTY  MILE 
DRIVE  —  PASADENA — MADRE  VILLA  —  THE  ROUTE 
TO    SAN    FRANCISCO  —  PERILOUS    RAILROADING. 

MARCH  15th  we  reached  Los  Angeles,  having 
traveled,  since  we  left  home,  nearly  seven 
thousand  miles  by  rail;  from  the  Poles  to 
the  Tropics,  and  vice  versa  many  times,  judging  by 
the  thermometer.  March  13th  we  woke  in  the  midst 
of  a  young  winter.  Snow  covered  the  ground,  water 
pipes  were  frozen,  icicles  hung  upon  the  engine  ten- 
der. Now,  March  15th,  our  eyes  were  greeted  with 
vineyards  and  groves,  green  meadows  and  pastures, 
where  cattle  and  horses  stood  knee-deep  in  the  grass ; 
thrifty  looking  farm  buildings,  cloud-capped  moun- 
tains and  moist  blue  skies  till  up  the  scene.  "We  were 
glad  to  rest  at  a  hotel  after  twelve  days  and  nights 
confinement  to  our  car. 

As  we  stoi)ped  at  the  station  a  man,  who  was  un- 
shackling the  car,  mused  thus:  "Bellevue,  Central 
Vermont.  This  must  be  a  Boston  party,  but  /  doiii 
see  the  beans  !  " 

People  on  the  other  side  of  the  continent  have  as 
little  idea  of  our  geugrapliy  as  we  have  of  theirs,  and 


72  J^otes  of  Travel. 

it  was  rather  mortifying,  when  asked  where  we  were 
from,  to  be  obliged  to  explain  in  our  reply,  "From 
Vermont,  near  Boston." 

Mystery  of  sunlight  and  moisture,  the  Citrus  gar- 
den of  America !  The  earth  is  a  carpet  of  living 
green,  the  patterns  wrought  in  flowers.  In  our  ap- 
proach to  the  city  we  passed  through  a  forest  of  orange 
trees,  twelve  miles  in  length.  Here  are  single  groves 
of  thirty  thousand  trees — not  only  of  oranges,  but 
lemons,  limes  and  grape-fruit.  The  redundant  ever- 
green foilage,  dark  and  glossy,  contrasts  beautifully 
with  the  golden  fruit  and  snow-white  blossoms  seen 
upon  the  trees  at  the  same  time.  It  is  often  difficult 
to  determine  which  of  the  three  colors  prevails,  while 
cords  of  the  fruit  lie  upon  the  ground,  English  wal- 
nuts, olives,  grapes  and  raisins  are  also  cultivated  for 
exportation. 

Shade  trees  grow  luxuriantly.  The  cypress,  a  very 
delicate  cedar,  the  pepper  tree,  (a  glorified  mountain 
ash)  with  long  sprays  of  red  berries,  the  eucalyj^tus 
(the  blue  gum  tree  of  Australia),  and  every  variety 
of  pine  are  principally  used,  and  are  all  evergreen. 
Birds  live  in  their  branches;  among  these  are  flocks 
of  the  sweet-voiced,  clamorous  linnet.  Flowers  cover 
wall,  terrace  and  laAvn  ;  geraniums  attain  the  dignity  of 
hedges  eight  feet  high ;  heliotropes  become  bushes, 
calla  lilies  are  used  as  borders,  vines  open  their  bright 
blossoms  on  the  very  tops  of  tall  trees,  as  if  striving 
to  catch  the  first  caress  of  the  cool,  crisj)  breezes 
descending  from  the  snow-clad  Sierra  Madre. 

Los  Angeles,  situated  near  the  Pacific  coast,  on  the 


JSfotex  of  Travel.  73 

thirty-fourth  degree  of  latitude,  is  a  city  of  thirty 
thousand  inhabitants.  The  varied  character  of  the 
popuhition  is  manifest  in  the  mixture  of  northern 
enterprise  and  southern  thriftlessness.  The  soil  is  a 
rich  black  loam,  and  the  climate,  as  upon  the  western 
coast  of  all  continents,  is  more  genial  and  equable 
than  upon  the  eastern.  This  may  be  due  to  the  ro- 
tary motion  of  the  earth,  which  causes  the  eastern 
shores  to  catch  the  first  violence  of  the  grand  atmos- 
pheric draught,  leaving  the  western  coasts  protected, 
as  it  were,  under  the  lee  of  the  land;  or  it  may  be 
the  modifying  influence  of  those  great  water  currents, 
the  Mexican  and  Japanese  Gulf  Streams ;  or  there 
may  be  magnetic  causes  beyond  the  reach  of  human 
speculation.  Be  this  as  it  may,  the  Pacific  slope  is 
warmer  than  the  Atlantic ;  though,  from  local  causes, 
storms  and  other  atmospheric  convulsions  are  more 
violent.  In  January  last  a  cloud  burst  in  the  Sierra 
Madre  mountains,  and  following  the  river's  course, 
flooded  the  lower  portion  of  the  city  of  Los  Angeles, 
carrying  away  twenty-five  houses,  a  part  of  the  bridge 
and  all  of  the  tramway  in  its  path.  Wonderful  to 
relate,  only  two  lives  were  lost,  as  the  cataclysm  oc- 
curred in  the  daytime,  and  people  were  warned  by 
the  awful  roar.  Let  New  Englanders  be  thankful, 
tliat  if  their  climate  is  less  equable,  the  storms  are 
more  so.  And  in  this  connection  I  would  o1)serve 
that  the  average  of  health  at  Los  Angeles  seems  no 
greater  than  ours ;  lung  disease  and  malaria  prevail ; 
we  were  more  nearly  ill  at  this  place  than  at  any  other 
during  our  absence. 


74  ^Ao/6'.s"  of  Travel. 

Tuesday  morning,  March  16,  we  ran  down  hy  rail- 
way to  Santa  JMuniea,  the  i)ort  of  Los  Angeles,  eigh- 
teen miles  distant.  Tlie  hotel  looked  so  ill-kept  and 
unattractive  we  went  directly  to  the  shore  and  had 
our  first  view  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  ;  we  saw  it  afterward 
under  far  different  auspices.  On  this  day  it  was  dull, 
the  watery  plain  was  gray  and  illimitable,  rolling  in 
vast  surges,  its  heavy  heart  forever  palpitating  against 
the  shore.  Perhaps  the  fatigue  of  the  long  journey 
affected  our  spirits,  or  the  dull  shadows  on  sea  and 
land,  portents  of  a  coming  storm,  gave  sombre  color- 
ing to  our  thouglit.  The  ocean's  solemn  moan  told 
of  dreadful  secrets  in  its  sunless  crypts;  of  battered 
hulks,  of  stained  and  draggled  pennons,  misshapen 
figure  heads,  and  limp,  decaying  sails  ;  of  unused,  for- 
gotten treasure,  riches  heaped  up  and  none  to  gather  ; 
of  the  shriek  "of  some  strong  swimmer  in  his  agony," 
the  gurgling  sob  of  despair,  the  still,  ydlo.  face  and 
sightless  eyes  upturned  to  the  far  off,  yellow  sun  ;  of 
little  fishes  searcil  Ijy  tlic  waving  robes ;  of  cruel  mon- 
sters that  seize  tiieii-  unresisting  prey.  The  sea,  hoary 
with  grief  and  age,  the  hel])less  cause  and  witness  of 
1)11  this  woe,  can  only  sigh  and  moan. 

We  sat  and  dreamed  upon  the  cliff  for  hours,  then 
wandered  beneath  the  eucalyptus  trees,  forgot  poetry 
and  lowered  our  dignity  sufficiently  to  partake  of  pea- 
nuts and  oranges,  and  at  three  p.  m.  returned  by  train 
to  Los  Angeles. 

The  next  day  we  took  the  celebrated  Horse  Shoe 
Drive  of  thirty  miles.  The  route  is  through  the  town 
of  Pasadena  (the  Pass  of  Eden),  where,  on  a  lofty 


Xofps;  of  Travel.  75 

height,  Mr.  Eaymond,  of  the  Passnmpsic  railroad,  is 
buihling  an  elegant  hotel ;  thence  to  the  Sierra  Madre 
Villa,  a  charming  retreat  embowered  in  orange  groves, 
under  the  shadow  of  the  dark  Madre  mountains, 
through  the  plantation  of  Mr.  Rose,  returning  by  the 
Mission  and  wine  manufactory  of  San  Gabriel.  The 
scenery  on  this  drive  is  said  to  be  the  finest  in  the 
country,  and  of  its  type  no  doubt  this  is  true ;  but 
the  equinoctial  storm,  Avhich  was  brooding  over  the 
sea  on  the  day  previous,  broke  in  fury  while  we  were 
out,  and  we  saw  these  beauties  through  a  mist  of  na- 
ture's tears.  As  we  drew  near  Los  Angeles,  on  our 
return,  we  passed  through  a  valley  surrounded  by 
treeless  but  verdant  hills,  all  of  brightest  coloring; 
on  the  vast  plain  thousands  of  sheep  were  feeding. 
A  shepherd  stood  near  them  with  a  dog  and  a  wolfish 
animal,  that  the  driver  told  us  was  a  domesticated 
coyote. 

The  equinoctial  storm  wrought  so  much  damage  to 
the  railroads  we  were  obliged  to  remain  at  Los  An- 
geles longer  than  we  desired.  The  hotel  is  untidy, 
the  table  and  service  wretched,  the  prices  extrava- 
gant, the  air  insalubrious,  and,  Monday,  March  22d, 
we  gladly  took  our  departure  for  San  Francisco. 

Our  route  lay  between  lofty  mountains,  no  longer 
barren,  but  clad  with  verdure  to  the  very  tops ;  the 
fields  at  their  feet  were  flower  gardens. 

We  went  through  a  tunnel  seven  thousand  feet 
long  on  a  continuous  up-grade  the  entire  distance. 
We  made  the  passage  in  utter  darkness,  having  neg- 
lected to  light  our  lamjas.     The  way  seemed  intermin- 


■jd  \n/rs   I  if'   Tidnl. 

al>le,  iis  if  we  were  buuiul  for  tlie  lower  regions,  a  feeling 
not  letisened  by  the  fact  that  an  accident,  the  caving 
in  of  the  tunnel,  had  occurred  oidy  two  days  before. 
The  heavy  rain  of  the  last  week  had  washed  the 
road,  and  the  J^os  Angeles  River  had  Ihtoded  the 
valley.  It  is  a  very  disagreeable  i)eculiarity  of  these 
rivers,  that  when  water  is  greatly  needed  their  broad 
beds  are  dry  sand  and  stone  :  and  in  the  rainy  season, 
when  they  would  be  l)etter  dry,  they  rise  to  mad, 
destructive  torrents.  Tpon  this  occasion,  as  u|)on 
many  ])revious.  the  Avorks  of  l>uiiy  man  were  swejjt 
away.  Hastily  constructed  tracks  and  eml)ankmcnts 
were  thrown  up  as  soon  as  the  flood  subsided,  and 
over  these  rickety,  unsubstantial  works  our  tottering 
train,  ""  like  a  wounded  serpent  dragged  its  huge 
lentrth  alon^.*'  Our  eni^ine,  a  monster  of  one  hnn- 
dred  and  five  tons,  gave  token  by  its  laborious  breath- 
ing of  another  mountain  ascent,  this  time  over  the 
Tehatehpi  range.  A  fearful  expedient  was  adopted 
to  oljtaiii  tlic  indispensable  grade.  The  track  makes 
what  is  cidlcd  a  loi»]i.  It  })asses  over  a  tunnel,  down 
a  steep  in  a  helicoid,  or  screw  spiral,  which  runs 
rouml  and  returns  to  the  same  ])oint  low  enough  to 
pass  through  the  tunnel  it  just  before  surmounted. 
I  hope  I  may  never  take  another  such  ride  j  we 
seemed  to  hang  upon  the  ragged  edge  of  nothingness. 
There  are  many  stretches  of  endjankment  now  aban- 
doned, where  attempts  have  been  made  to  meet  the 
caprice  of  the  sti'cam  in  vain.  All  honor  to  the  men 
who  struggle  thus  piiticnil\  with  the  blind  forces 
of  nature. 


^^otes  of  Travel.  jj 

Night  overtakes  us  on  this  dangerous  journey  ;  we 
retire  to  rest,  but  slee])  is  broken.  We  miss  the 
smooth  rumble  tliat  acts  as  a  hilhiby ;  the  car  rocks 
like  a  storm-vexed  ship ;  a  sense  of  danger  mingles 
with  the  momentary  dreams,  in  which  tired  nature 
tries  to  assert  her  rights.  Morning  dawns;  we  rise 
unrefj'eshed,  but  thankful  that  we  live  to  rise  at  all. 
At  the  town  of  Modesta  we  are  still  one  hundred  and 
twenty-seven  miles  from  San  Francisco,  three  liours 
late. 


Cl)aptcv  jSinc. 

MONTEREY. 

OAKLAND  —  >TriM:X])()L'S  ADVERTISEMENTS —  HOTEL 
DEL  MOXTE  —  CASTLES  IX  STAIX  —  KATIIS  —  THE 
SEVEXTEKN'  MILE  DRIVE. 

"  Aiiffcls  fold  tlieir  wings  ami  rest 
111  this  Kiloii  of  tlie  West." 

WE  rcaclie'd  (>akl;iii(l,  the  railroad  terminus, 
al  twelve  m.,  and  went  into  the  reeei)tion 
room  of  the  depot  to  await  the  ferry-boat 
that  conveys  passengers  across  an  arm  of  the  liay  into 
the  city  of  San  Francisco..  The  room  is  arranged 
like  a  chapel,  with  a  platform  at  one  end  and  numer- 
ous seats  fronting  it ;  but  the  enormous,  gaudy  adver- 
tisements that  adorn  the  walls  disi)el  any  possible 
illusion  that  this  is  a  sacred  editice.  On  one  side  the 
goddess  of  love  and  a  family  of  cnpids,  life-size  and 
highly  colored,  are  seated  on  the  banks  of  a  lily-pond, 
and  are  su})posed  to  be  calling  i)nblic  attention  to  a 
])omestic  sewing  machine. 

Beside  this  practical  hint  to  famih'  affection  and 
duty,  is  the  picture  of  a  num  on  horseback,  large 
as  life,  fierce  as  a  Mexican  freebooter,  tearing 
through  a  vast  desert,  waving  aloft,  not  a  revolver, 
but  a  bottle  marked  Mineral  Water. 


J^^ofes  of  Travel .  yg 

Xoar  by  this  startling  design,  Columbia,  Goddess 
of  Liberty,  with  several  questionable  looking  associ- 
ates, one  a  female  Mercury  (at  least  she  had  wings 
on  her  head),  is  majestically  pointing  to  a  shoe  store. 
In  another  jilace,  a  man  and  woman  in  gay  attire, 
attitudinizing  as  if  for  photographs,  sit  at  a  table 
loaded  with  eatables,  to  i)refigure  the  delights  of  a 
restaurant.  This  colossal  group,  in  drawing  and  ex- 
pression, caps  the  climax  of  fine  art. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  room  is  a  bottle  of 
champagne  at  least  six  feet  tall ;  .the  cork  is  blown 
out  of  sight  and  a  column  of  froth  goes  up  from  the 
neck  like  the  smoke  of  a  volcano,  true  indication,  no 
doubt,  of  the  elevating  effects  of  the  wine  proclaimed 
beneath  in  enormous  red  letters.  Near  this  bold 
defiance  of  the  temperance  cause  is  a  com})anion 
piece.  Madame  Adelina  Patti,  gigantic  in  size, 
stands  with  a  sheet  of  music  in  hand,  chanting  in 
doggerel  rhyme  the  praises  of  a  cigarette.  Tiiis  pic- 
ture was,  I  think,  six  feet  square.  The  song  ran  as 
follows : 

"What  a  pleasure  of  an  evening, 

When  your  day's  work  is  done, 
To  take  your  I'atti  Cigarettes 

And  smoke  tlieni  one  l>y  one; 
And  as  you  watcli  the  clouds  arise, 

And  gaily  puH'  away, 
You  light  another  cheerfully, 

And  then  you're  hound  to  say : 
'Patti,  PaUi,  that's  the  name!' 
And  like  that  great  artiste, 

Well  known  to  fame, 
As  soon  as  you've  smokeil  one 

You'll  like  them,  you  bet, 
You're  bound  to  enjoy 

The  Patti  Cigarette! 


8o  Xit/f'S   of  'I'rt/nJ. 

The  port  for^rot  to  mention  the  oi»inm,  arsenic  and 
other  deadly  iiareoties  that  compose  this  enehaiitin<ij 
eonipuund. 

Tlicse  are  but  8i)ecimen8  of  the  dashing  topics  that 
tapestrv  the  walls.  In  tlie  concoction  of  stupendous 
adviTtiseiiients  California  defies  the  world. 

W  liile  we  were  gazing  awe-struck  at  these  astonish- 
ing tievices,  the  great  ferry-boat  steamed  in,  but  no 
place  for  the  egress  of  anxious  passengers  was  visible. 

Presto  I  Up  goes  an  immense  land  advertisement  at 
the  end  of  the  hall.  An  ocean,  a  range  of  mountains 
and  a  i)rairie  disajipear,  and  in  their  ])lace.  lo !  a 
broad  walk  leading  most  conveniently  to  the  deck  of 
the  steamer. 

There  we  i-an  the  gauntlet  of  hack-drivers,  clamor- 
ing like  frogs  in  a  dry  time.  One  burly,  well-C(tndi- 
tioued  fellow,  worthy  of  being  an  alderman,  at  least 
in  jdiysical  qualifications,  outdid  Sam  Weller  in  con- 
fidential manner.  lie  was  evidently  "  laying  for  us." 
(I  drop  into  slang,  ado])ting  my  style  to  the  subject.) 
With  numerous  winks  and  nods  he  said:  "I  know 
where  you  want  to  go  —  Jones,  of  the  Palace,  sent  me 
to  look  out  for  your  party.  lie's  jjretty  well  filled 
up.  but  he's  all  heeled  for  you."  "With  this  some- 
what jtroblematical  assurance  we  crossed  the  ferry 
witli  our  confidential  guide,  who  put  us  into  a  car- 
riage and  drove  through  crowded  streets  to  the  hotel. 

One  of  our  party  had  contracted  a  stubborn  cold 
at  Los  Angeles,  and  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  try 
a  change  of  air.  We  therefore  hastened  our  depar- 
ture for  the  sanitarium  of  California,   Monterey,  an 


Xotes  of  Ti-m-cl.  8 1 

old  Sitanisli  town  on  tlio  coa.st,  one  hundred  and 
iwenty  miles  nearly  south  of  San  Francisco.  Our 
journey  was  throu*rh  a  fertile  country,  much  like 
New  England  in  the  leafy  month  of  June. 

It  was  quite  dark,  without  moon  or  star,  when  we 
arrived  at  the  station  of  the  Hotel  Del  ^Monte.  Noth- 
ing was  visible  but  a  crowd  nf  ))assengers  hurrying  to 
a  lamp-lit  omnibus  that  looked  in  the  dim  ])erspective 
longer  and  narr(»wi'r  than  a  I'ailroad  car.  Into  this 
vehicle  I  desperately  struggled,  for  danger  and  wreck 
seemed  imminent  in  such  an  ill-const ruetcd  carriage 
and  Cimerean  driveway ;  but  I  said  Kismet,  and 
resigned  myself  to  the  inevitable.  The  tind)ers  creak, 
the  Avheels  rotate,  the  gravel  crunches,  the  ponderous 
vehicle,  with  two  o])i)osite  ranks  of  human  beings, 
armed  with  umbrellas  and  barricaded  behind  travel- 
ing satcdiels,  yields  to  unseen  forces;  it  is  propelled 
forward  and  upward  ;  it  rumbles  through  black 
night  :  it  stops,  we  jjitch  forward,  hosjiitable  hands 
receive  us,  we  are  ushered  into  a  large,  brilliantly 
lighted  hall.  A  fire  of  logs  is  blazing  on  an  ami)le 
hearth,  ii  hundred  guests  in  groujis  enjoy  its  genial 
intiuence  and  watch  the  arrival  of  new  comers.  The 
voice  of  the  lamUord  announces  that  our  rooms  on 
liie  first  lloor  are  ready,  ami  dinner  awaits  us.  We 
dine  and  retire,  close  our  eyes  to  the  dense  outer 
darkness  ami  sleep  the  sleep  of  tin;  just — when  the 
just  are  fatigued  by  a  long  journey  and  rest  by  the 
shores  of  the  sounding  sea. 

March  :5(>th  we  open  our  eyes  on  the  t'ull-lletlged 
day.     Are  we  still  dreaming':'     ^:'y,  this  is  startling, 


82  JVfifes  of  Travel. 

amazing  reality — we  have  fouiul  our  Castles  in  8})ain  ! 
From  the  long,  low  windows  of  our  parlor,  through 
the  vine-clad  arches  of  a  broad  veranda,  are  seen  green 
lawns  slojjing  away  to  a  lake,  from  tlie  middle  of 
which  rises  a  cloud-like  fountain  climbing  to  the 
skies :  in  the  mist  rainbows  play,  and  on  the  shore 
Swiss  cottages  nestle.  Shadows  of  ancient  oaks  and 
giant  evergreens  lie  u])on  the  grass  where  innumera- 
ble flowers  disdain  not  to  bloom.  Birds  sing  in  the 
branches,  dark  men  in  foreign  attire  dress  the  lawn 
and  sprinkle  the  plants.  Our  surprise  and  delight  is 
greater  tlian  that  of  the  Grand  Monarch  of  France 
when  he  awoke  in  his  palace  at  Versailles  and  caught 
the  gleam  of  the  Swiss  lake,  the  magic  result  of  one 
night's  toil. 

Yes,  we  have  found  our  Castles  in  S])ain,  the  Span- 
ish name,  Del  Monte,  assures  us  ;  and  more  than  this, 
we  havf  taken  jtosscssion. 

We  perform  a  cari^ful  toilet  as  becomes  Spanish 
l)n»i>ri('tors.  We  go  out  into  the  ancestral  halls  ;  the 
floors  are  covered  witli  cari)ets ;  fires  are  burning  on 
the  hearths,  for  mornings  in  tliis  lordly  mansion  are 
cool.  The  broad  halls,  the  tall  columns  and  vaulted 
domes  overpower  us,  but  it  is  witli  delight,  and  when 
the  demand  of  grosser  nature  calls  to  the  banquet 
room,  the  golden  apples  of  tlie  Hesperides  crown  the 
board,  but  no  Discordia  placed  them  there. 

Our  re]»ast  is  over,  and  we  go  forth  among  tlie 
guests.  Tiiey  take  sligiit  notice  of  our  coming;  in- 
deed, there  is  a  look  in  some  of  their  faces  as  if  they, 
too.  are  Spanish  proprietors.     This  gives  us  a  strange 


} 


Xotes  of  Trarel.  83 

feeling.     Is  it  possible  that  our  claim  ''is  only  such 
stuff  as  dreams  are  made  of  ?'" 

We  walk  through  the  extensive  grounds,  observe 
the  growth  of  tree  and  vine,  admire  the  tall  heliotrope 
hedges  and  the  white  roses  that  climb  to  the  eaves  of 
the  lofty  i)ortico ;  we  wonder  at  the  curious  forms  the 
live  oaks  have  attained,  we  commend  the  taste  our 
servants  have  displayed  in  the  arrangement  of  flower 
beds,  walks  and  drives.  We  wander  to  the  shore  and 
listen  with  rapture  to  the  slow,  infrequent  pulsations 
of  the  sea — the  water  is  calm,  nor  wind  nor  tide  vex 
its  surface,  but  an  occasional  long-drawn  sigh  heaves 
its  mighty  breast. 

"There's  a  sound  in  the  deep 
Like  the  munmiring  lireath  ot  a  lion  aslee)>." 

Our  joy  is  full.  What  though  the  ''  children  of 
Alice  call  Bertram  father?"  Do  not  our  own  walk 
beside  us,  enjoying  as  we  do,  our  Castles  in  Spain  ? 

Here  we  spend  the  last  days  of  March,  the  stormy 
month.  The  sky  is  bright,  the  birds  carol  in  the  tall 
trees,  the  guests  stroll  through  the  groves,  bask  in 
the  sunshine  or  drive  in  carriages.  The  grounds  of 
this  magnificent  hotel  are  seven  thousand  acres  in 
extent,  and  boast  twenty-seven  miles  of  driveway — 
fifty  men  are  emi)l()yed  in  their  care  ;  the  head  gar- 
dener is  (leruuin,  the  assistants  are  Chinese.  Here 
reigns  perpetual  spring — May  in  January,  June  in 
Marcii.  Plants  of  tn)})ic  deltas  grow  near  the  gray, 
uncouth  forms  of  ;i  northern  desert.  The  Arizona 
garden  "shows  every  variety  of  outline  seen  in  the 


84  Xofrs    tif    Trdri']. 

diabolical  cactus,  fascinating  hy  its  repulsivcncss," 
and  astonishing  by  gorgeous  blossoms  that  seem  to 
alight  upon  the  prickly  s])incs.  like  birds  or  butterflies. 

We  exi)lore  the  Labyrinth.  This  })roduction  of 
man's  ingenuity  is  formed  of  cyjiress  hedges  so  skil- 
fully arranged  that  one  may  walk  for  miles  without 
finding  the  centre,  and  once  inside  miles  may  inter- 
vene between  it  and  the  place  of  egress.  It  is  a 
source  of  great  amusement,  for,  after  energetically 
pursuing  a  long  course,  one  is  stopped  by  a  blank 
wall,  and  patiently  retracing  his  steps  finds  himself 
}terhaj)s  in  the  same  cul-de-sac.  The  hedge  is  higher 
than  the  tallest  man,  and  it  gave  a  strange  sensa- 
tion to  catch  glimpses  of  other  bewildered  travelers 
running  back  and  forth,  laughing  and  shouting  to 
each  other  and  to  us,  so  near  that  our  hands  could 
have  clas])ed  through  the  hedge  wliilo  we  were  per- 
haps a  mile  distant  by  the  jiath.  After  numy  ludi- 
crous mistakes  we  penetrated  the  innermost  fold  of 
this  leafy  labyrinth,  and  almost  expected  to  find 
within  it  a  devouring  dragon  and  an  enchanted 
l)rincess ;  but  the  illusion  was  dispelled  by  the  sight 
of  some  very  common  benches  placed  there  to  await 
the  tired  pedestrian.  One  poor  lady  got  lost  in  the 
nuize  and  became  panic-stricken,  but  her  cries  and 
screams  brought  hcl]!  from  the  laborers  in  that  ])art 
of  the  ground. 

A  Herdic  runs  once  an  hour  to  and  from  the  baths 
and  the  town  of  Monterey.  It  is  a  strange  vehicle, 
painted  red,  half  omnibus  and  half  wagonette.  The 
coachman  is  a  little  old  hunchback,  with  jiuffy  cheeks 


N^otes  of  Travel.  85 

and  head  sunken  between  his  shoulders.  He  never 
speaks,  and  I  never  saw  him  off  the  seat  of  the  Her- 
dic.  I  do  not  know  if  he  can  speak  or  walk ;  he 
rings  a  bell  as  the  carriage  starts. 

As  this  uncanny  equipage  stands  waiting  at  or 
drives  from  the  door,  one  rubs  his  eyes  and  opens 
them  wide  to  test  the  accuracy  of  his  vision  ;  he  feels 
as  if  he  had  been  set  back  to  the  medieval  times  when 
dwarfs  and  mutes  played  an  important  part  in  the 
household  of  their  lords.  However,  it  took  us  safely 
through  the  shady  road,  and,  without  a  word  from  the 
dwarf,  drew  up  in  front  of  the  bath  house.  We 
alighted,  and  after  passing  along  the  platform  and 
through  an  entry,  were  ushered  into  a  spacious  hall 
lighted  by  a  glass  roof.  Here  were  four  large  tanks 
of  sea-water,  separated  by  decks  and  supplied  with 
stairways  that  lead  into  the  tanks;  also  slides  about 
fifteen  feet  high,  from  which  swimmers  can  plunge 
into  the  water.  Around  the  hall  tro})ical  plants  were 
growing,  which,  with  the  great  swimming  tanks,  gave 
an  effect  of  oriental  luxury.  Tlie  water  is  heated  by 
steam,  and  at  this  hour  was  full  of  bathers  in  cos- 
tume, diving,  plunging,  swimming  and  floating.  A 
beautiful  child  about  five  years  old,  a  daughter  of 
Mr.  Seward,  of  New  York,  stood  on  the  deck  waiting 
for  her  father.  Presently  he  took  her  in  his  arms  and 
Avent  into  the  Avater ;  sometimes  carrying  her  on  his 
shoulder  or  swimming  with  her  on  his  back  ;  some- 
times he  i)laced  his  hands  under  her  chest  to  steady 
her,  and  the  little  creature  paddled  with  hands  and 
feet  like  a  water  sprite.     It  was  a  very  pretty  and 


86  Nolc!^  of  TvavcL 

iiniisuiil  si<:;lil,  i-ciiiiii(liii;i;  one  of  tlu!  hi^ciid  of  Saiiil. 
( !lirisl,()|)linr  mikI  llic  inrniil.  .Icsus.  A  crowd  of  s|i(H'- 
tiiioi's  wit-i  lessen  I  Uii;  sciauf  jirul  an  iiriisl,  })hoto^M"ii|)luMl 
it.  Siil)sc(|ii('ntly  our  own  party  patroiii/t'd  llio  butlis 
and  fdiiiid  the  |-('crcat  ion  dclif^dit  fill. 

'I'lu'st'  bat-lis  arc  jironounced  tlic  finest  in  America, 
and  jicrliaps  in  the  world  ;  they  arc  sitiiat-cd  on  a 
siiioDlh  lieiicli,  which  we  visitiid  after  h'avin;;"  the 
l)uildiii^'8.  Tlic  water  of  tlie  I'ac^itic;  is  not  j^ray  like 
that  of  our  ocean,  it  is  of  a  hcaiitiful  <ifreenish  blue; 
the  roll  also  seems  lon^^'r.  l^jveryihinu^  in  this  [)art 
of  the  world  is  upon  the  <;ran(lest,  scale. 

In  tli(^  afternoon  we  <;■()  out-  into  the  i;roiinds,  walk 
in  the  shade  of  the  i^rcat  trees  and  rest.  uj)on  the  seats 
uliieh  everywhere  open  their  liosj)ital)l(^  arms.  Not  a 
l)reat  h  of  air  or  a  leaf  is  st  irriiiij; ;  llu^  lofty  evergreens, 
in  dignitied  silence,  iiprear  themselves  against  the 
jsiU-nt  sky  :  no  sound  of  bird  or  insect  disturbs  the  still 
rcpos(^  The  etl'eet  is  like  enchantment;  we  forget 
lime  and  :;i'ief  and  care,  our  former  life,  our  distant 
home  even  the  faces  of  otii'  frieiuls  fade  from  the 
tablet  of  niciiiory  ;  the  ( iMiKjiiilil  v  of  nature  perme- 
ates body  and  sonl.  IIa\e  we  not-  I'aten  of  thctlowors 
of  fori^'ct  fulness  that-  grow  in  the  valley  of  dreams? 
'riie  shallows  seem  always  ])ointing  to  the  cast.  It  is 
the  Land  of  ihc  l"'-vciiiiiu' Calm  I 


Cl)aptcv  Ccn» 

MONTEREY. 

Til  K  SEVENTEEN  M  i  l.M  hlil  V  K— I'ACI  KI(!  (iUOVK — SKALS 
— CEDARS  OF  LEMANON— A  J.ll  DICUOUS  INCIDENT — 
THE  LONE  (!Y1MIESS — A  WONDICREUL  SCENIi] — STORY 
Oil'  A   HAN  1)1  r. 

M()^'|)A^^  Aj)cil  AIIi,  uc  l(»<ik  Uic  .vlfhralcd 
drive  llir(>ii<j;li  I  lie  (■(uiipany's  liiiid.  An  open 
ciirriago  and  a  span  ol'  horses  uci-t'  secured 
foi-  iliis  purpose.  'IMie  dri\cr  was  a  <;Tav(',  (piid  man 
from  (Canada,  who  bore  the  familiar  name  of  Paul 
Smith,  and  wliose  eighteen  years  resichuice  in  Cali- 
fornia made  him  an  excellent  guide. 

We  drove  Ihrough  the  town  of  Monti'rey,  where 
wc  saw  a  (tross  heai'ing  date  1770,  tlu;  year  that  the 
Spaniards  landed  on  thesci  shores,  also  I  he  old  wooden 
huilding  wheu;  the  hrst  legislatur(!  of  dalifoi'nia  met 
in  1811),  and  the  fortidcaiions  used  hy  (Jenei'al  Fre- 
mont duriii<;' the  Mexican  war. 

Near  this  place;  is  a  (dusicr  of  low  sheds  (l(fVot(!(l 
to  whaling  purposes.  Watclimcn  at  Monterey  are 
always  on  the  lookout  seaward,  and  when  a  111  fill  mist 
aj)p(!ars  moving  on  the  waves,  indicating  tlu;  prcseneo 
of  an  adventurous  whale  in  tlu!  hay,  a  vessel  is  irnm(i- 
diately  seiil    in    pursiiil,  and    if  a,  captiii'c   is  clfccleil, 


88  N^otes  of  Travel. 

the  blubber  is  reduced  to  oil  in  these  buildings. 
Great  heaps  of  whitening  bones  bear  witness  to  suc- 
cessful battles  with  these  monsters  of  the  deep. 

A  similar  cluster  of  buildings,  called  Chinatown, 
marks  the  spot  where  large  quantities  of  fish  are  taken 
and  preserved  by  the  busy  foreigners.  The  fish  on 
this  coast  are  plentiful  and  fine.  The  pompano,  cod, 
rockfish,  Spanish  mackerel,  smelt  and  bonita  are  had 
in  their  season.  The  salmon,  which  come -from  the 
Colorado  river,  are  the  finest  I  have  ever  seen. 

We  made  the  tour  of  the  Pacific  Grove,  a  beautiful 
plot  of  land  belonging  to  the  Pacific  Improvement 
Company,  the  same  who  own  the  Hotel  del  Monte. 
It  is  designed  for  camp-meetings,  conventions,  res- 
idences, etc.  Many  lovely  little  cottages  are  already 
built,  similar  to  those  at  Martha's  Vineyard.  After 
leaving  the  Grove  our  course  lay  through  a  romantic 
road  overshadowed  by  pine  trees,  and  sweet  with 
their  wholesome  perfume.  It  was  also  beautified  by 
wild  lilacs  in  full  bloom,  and  numerous  other 
flowering  shrubs  which  flourish  in  this  lonely  spot, 
called  by  tlie  Spaniards,  "Lovers'  Lane."  Such 
lanes,  however,  are  not  peculiar  to  the  Spaniards  or 
to  California.  I  have  noticed  their  prevalence  in  all 
the  countries  I  have  visited,  and  I  suppose  they  will 
continue  to  exist  as  long  as  men  and  women  walk  the 
earth  together,  but  I  must  own  that  one  is  rarely 
seen  so  conducive  to  tender  emotion  as  the  aforesaid 
lane,  winding  through  the  dark  forest  tliat  skirts  the 
shore  of  the  grandest  ocean. 

As   we  drove   along   beneath    the    aromatic  j^ines. 


Xotes  of  Travel.  89 

cangiit  glimpses  of  the  blue  waves,  felt  the.  rush  of 
the  wild  winds  and  listened  to  the  pulsating  surge, 
we  remembered  the  words  of  Byron  : 

"  There  is  a  pleasure  in  the  patliless  woods, 
There  is  a  rapture  on  tlie  lonely  shore, 
There  is  society  where  none  intrudes 
By  the  deep  sea,  and  music  in  its  roar." 

We  came  to  a  cove  where  shells  and  other  marine 
treasures  are  often  found  driven  in  by  wind  and  wave 
from  distant  islands,  and  left  the  carriage  to  try  our 
fortune.  Tlie  wind,  Avhicli  had  been  fresh  from  the 
time  of  our  setting  out,  had  now  risen  to  a  gale  ;  it 
blew  from  the  land,  and  strove  with  the  incoming 
tide ;  the  great  palpitating  plain  was  lashed  into 
foam,  the  white  caps  contrasting  with  the  tumultuous 
waves  rendered  them  more  "deeply,  darkly,  beauti- 
fully blue."  The  long  surges  rolled  in  with  majestic 
sweep  and  were  driven  back,  shattered  like  flying 
snow-drifts.  As  they  surmounted  a  hidden  reef  off 
the  shore,  an  effect  was  produced  grand  and  almost 
terrible.  For  a  moment  a  mighty  commotion  was 
evident  under  the  sea,  then  two  tremendous  oppos- 
ing waves,  like  great  dragons,  upreared  their  crests, 
dashed  forward  and  grappled  as  in  deadly  fray.  After 
a  furious  struggle,  in  which  neither  obtained  the  mas- 
tery, they  sank  exhausted  to  rally  for  another  and 
another  onset.  The  battlefield  was  limitless,  the  com- 
batants were  gigantic,  the  struggle  interminable  ;  and, 
fascinated  by  the  wildness  of  the  scene,  we  watched 
it  from  the  bluff,  unmindful  of  our  peril,  till  the 
wind,  ferocious  as  the  wave,  nearly  swept  us  into  the 


90  uSfotes  of  Travel. 

sea.  Being  reminded  of  the  object  of  our  coming, 
the  coveted  treasures  of  the  deep,  we  glanced  around 
to  see  if  any  Avere  within  reach ;  naught  but  broken 
fragments  glittered  among  the  rocks,  and  the  foot- 
steps of  the  ubiquitious  Chinaman  appeared  in  the 
sand;  we  therefore  crept  carefully  down  from  our 
dangerous  outlook,  and  subsequently  procured  the 
shells  at  second  hand. 

At. this  place  one  of  our  party  met  with  a  ludicrous 
mishap.  His  overcoat,  which  was  left  in  the  carriage 
while  we  climbed  the  rocks,  was,  on  our  return,  no 
where  to  be  found.  Presuming  it  had  been  blown 
away  by  the  violence  of  the  wind,  we  turned  the 
horses  and  carefully  retraced  our  steps.  Soon  the 
missing  garment  was  discovered  tumbling  its  stupid 
way  over  the  beach,  api^arently  bent  upon  plunging 
into  the  deep.  To  avert  such  an  ill-timed  catastroiDhe, 
the  alarmed  owner  sprung  from  the  vehicle  and  gave 
the  flying  overcoat  chase.  But  scarcely  had  he  reached 
the  ground  before  the  mischievous  gale  seized  his  eye- 
glasses and  hurled  them  away.  In  groping  for  them 
(he  could  not  see  without  their  aid),  he  lost  his  hat, 
and  for  a  moment  it  seemed  as  if  the-tragedy  of  un- 
fortunate Dr.  Wango  Tango  was  about  to  be  re-enact- 
ed, but  the  party  in  the  carriage  went  to  the  rescue, 
the  suicidal  overcoat  was  dragged  from  the  brink  of 
a  watery  grave,  the  recalcitrant  hat  and  eye-glasses 
were  captured  and  subdued,  their  possessor  shook  him- 
self together  again,  serenity  was  restored,  and  we 
resumed  our  journey. 

That  ladies,   under  the  circumstances,  Avould  be- 


JSFotes  of  Travel.  91 

come  somewhat  dismembered  was  to  be  expected,  but 
that  one  of  the  sterner  sex  should  go  to  pieces  in  such 
an  incoherent  manner,  was  a  great  surprise  and  a 
bewilderment. 

Soon  afterward  we  passed  a  group  of  jagged  rocks 
which  numerous  seals  occupy  as  a  playground.  The 
rocks  were  brown  and  the  water  was  alive  with  these 
interesting  animals. 

Our  way  now  took  us  through  a  very  remarkable 
grove  of  ancient  trees,  utterly  unlike  any  others  we 
had  seen,  and  unknown  on  the  continent  save  in  this 
one  locality.  They  are  apparently  the  veritable  ce- 
dars of  Lebanon.  The  grove  is  large,  but  the  trees 
are  old  and  rapidly  becoming  extinct ;  many  are  al- 
ready naked  skeletons,  grotesque  and  ghastly  spectres, 
bleached  by  wind  and  sun. 

As  our  carriage  was  slowly  making  its  way  over  a 
precipitous  ledge  the  driver  brought  his  horses  to  a 
stand,  and  pointing  down  the  steep  toward  the  sea 
he  said,  "  There  is  the  Lone  Cypress."  Upon  a  great 
rock,  entirely  bare  of  other  vegetation,  which  had  ap- 
parently been  torn  from  the  ledge  and  had  fallen 
into  the  sea,  stood  one  of  the  beautiful  cedars  of  Leb- 
anon in  stately  solitude.  How  came  it  in  this  lonely 
spot  ?  Imagination  was  at  once  excited  and  piqued. 
Had  it  been  banished  from  the  presence  of  its  peers 
in  the  forest  above  for  some  iinpardonable  offense  ? 
Or,  had  the  evil  passions  of  its  comrades,  fear  and 
envy,  doomed  it,  though  innocent,  to  this  rocky  St. 
Helena  ?  Or,  was  it  a  misanthrope,  a  hermit-tree, 
who,  tired  of  the  society  of  its  fellows,  disappointed 


92  Xotes  of  Travel. 

in  love,  and  defeated  in  ambition,  had  vohintarily 
left  its  native  grove  and  songht  this  desolate  crag  to 
vegetate  and  die  ? 

But  the  reverie  was  brief ;  our  eyes  were  drawn  on 
and  beyond  this  strange  foreground ;  exclamations  of 
wonder  burst  from  every  lip.  The  vast  ocean  lay 
before  us,  its  color  vivid  green  or  blue,  hurrying  white 
caps  and  long  rolling  waves  beat  the  curved  shore 
that  bears  the  name  Half-Moon.  A  high,  bold  prom- 
ontory, called  Mt.  Carmel,  walls  off  the  land,  and  at 
the  foot  of  the  terminating  headland  a  group  of 
ragged,  rocky  islands  project  out  of  the  foamy  waves. 

A  great  bank  of  fog  was  rising  over  the  distant  sea 
where  land  and  water  meet;  a  strange  transparent 
haze  or  nimbus,  betokening  the  advance  of  a  storm. 
The  precipitous  ledge  where  we  were  standing,  was 
covered  with  lofty  trees,  behind  us  were  the  skeleton 
cedars,  beneath  us  the  bald  rock  and  the  "  Lonely 
Cypress;"  and  over  all  the  bright  sun  was  shining. 
The  scene  was  indescribably  beautiful,  but  that  which 
enhanced  its  marvelous  effect  was  what  no  picture 
can  boast,  no  description  convey — sound  and  motion; 
the  tumult  of  the  waves,  the  wild  tossing  of  the  trees, 
the  roar  of  the  wind,  the  thunder  of  the  surge.  Our 
garments  fluttered  in  the  gale ;  a  long  red  shawl  which 
I  vainly  strove  to  confine,  broke  from  restraint  and 
streamed  away  in  gyrating  folds,  like  a  flying  dragon  ; 
our  ears  were  distracted  by  the  noise ;  we  were  con- 
scious of  strange  electric  thrills ;  it  were  slight  stretch 
of  fancy  to  imagine  a  host  of  elemental  spirits  rush- 
iuir  around  us. 


Notes  of  Travel.  93 

We  lingered ;  there  was  a  hush  in  the  blast,  and 
the  interest  of  this  memorable  ho^^r  was  intensified 
and  its  colors  made  permanent  by  a  story  told  us 
there. 

A  few  years  ago,  the  rocky  islands,  which  we  now 
saw  lying  in  the  mist  below  the  mountains,  were  the 
haunt  of  a  notorious  Spanish  bandit,  by  name 
Vasquez.  For  seven  or  eight  years  this  desperado  and 
his  band  were  the  terror  of  the  Pacific  coast.  With 
infernal  skill  and  success  he  planned  and  perpe- 
trated the  most  cold-blooded  robberies  and  murders. 
In  the  dark  night  he  would  swoop  down  on  a  lonely 
traveler  or  sleeping  hamlet,  carry  away  whatever  he 
valued,  and  leave  naught  but  death  and  desolation 
behind.  He  defied  the  law  and  its  officers,  for  when 
pursued  he  would  retreat  with  his  banditti  to  the 
impregnable  fortresses   of  his  sea-encircled  caverns. 

But,  by  the  fiat  of  nature^s  inexorable  law,  lives  of 
violence  must  come  to  a  violent  end.  "Whosoever 
sheddeth  man's  blood,  by  man  shall  his  blood  be 
shed." 

A  bounty  was  placed  upon  the  head  of  Vasquez ; 
he  might  be  taken  dead  or  alive.  After  many  won- 
derful escapes,  perhaps  he  grew  careless,  or  allowed 
some  overmastering  passion  to  lull  him  into  momen- 
tary forgetfulness.  A  resolute  sheriff  from  Los  An- 
geles surprised  him  and  his  gang  at  a  place  of  ren- 
dezvous on  the  main  land.  After  a  desjoerate  struggle, 
in  which  several  of  the  outlaws  were  shot,  Vasquez,  who 
happened  at  the  moment  to  be  unarmed,  was  taken 
alive.     He  was  carried  to  Sacramento,  securely  ironed. 


94  JSfotes  of  Travel. 

and  there,  at  the  age  of  thirty-five,  suffered  the  pen- 
alty of  his  crimes  upon  the  gallows. 

After  listening  to  this  story  and  gazing  once  more 
upon  the  transcendent  scene,  made  memorable  by 
these  adventures,  we  silently  pursued  our  way, 

A  ride  of  five  miles,  past  a  deep  canyon,  brought 
us  once  more  to  the  town  of  Monterey,  where  we 
called  at  the  store  of  Dr.  Heintz,  who  has  in  his 
possession  a  living  horned  toad.  This  specimen, 
seven  or  eight  inches  long,  was  gray,  with  the  tail  of 
a  lizard;  upon  the  back  of  his  head  was  a  flat  shield- 
like appendage  with  serrated  edges,  out  of  which  the 
bright  eyes  peered  —  no  doubt  the  fabled  "diamonds 
in  the  toad's  head." 

The  wind  increased  to  a  furious  gale  before  we 
reached  the  hotel,  and  the  next  morning  the  threat- 
ened storm  broke  over  land  and  sea. 

We  cannot  do  justice  to  this  ideal  retreat  in  our 
limited  space.  The  extensive  grounds  are  beautified 
by  gardens,  bowers,  bowling  alleys,  tennis,  archery 
and  croquet  courts,  sand-beds  for  children  to  play  in, 
swings,  baths,  et  cetera,  all  on  the  most  liberal  scale. 
Flowers  are  numerous  and  rare ;  one  rose  tree  is 
eighteen  or  twenty  feet  high,  with  a  stem  one  foot  in 
circumference.  We  saw  here  for  the  first  time  a 
passion  flower  vine  loaded  with  crimson  blossoms. 
The  buildings  are  commodious  and  in  admirable  pro- 
portion. The  table  is  excellent ;  the  service  all  that 
could  be  desired.  The  waiters  are  many  of  them 
grave  and  reverend  men,  giving  the  impression  of 
retired   clergymen  or  college   i^rofcssors  in  disguise. 


JSFotes  of  Travel.  95 

The  guests  who  congregate  here  to  spend  the  winter 
months  are  people  of  wealth,  refinement  and  princi- 
ple^  dignified  and  self-contained,  but  who  know 
enough  of  the  world  to  make  the  most  and  best  of 
their  accidental  companionship ;  there  is  no  emula- 
tion, no  ultra  fashionable  element.  The  climate  is 
equable,  the  thermometer  ranging  only  from  fifty- 
one  to  sixty-eight  through  the  entire  year ;  yet  the 
nights  are  cold  and  we  are  warned  not  to  trust  the 
evening  air.  Great  roaring  fires  are  kept  up  in  the 
public  rooms  and  steam  heaters  modify  the  atmos- 
phere in  the  remote  halls.  With  all  these  advantages 
the  prices  are  moderate — two  and  one-half  dollars  per 
day.  Our  visit  of  ten  days  was  all  too  brief,  but  we 
could  not  linger  forever. 

"  Sitting  all  clay  in  a  silver  mist, 
In  silvery  silence  all  the  day, 
Save  for  the  low,  soft  plasli  of  spray 
And  lisp  of  sands  by  water  kissed, 
As  the  tide  creeps  up  the  bay. 

Little  we  hear  and  little  we  see. 
Wrapped  in  a  veil  by  fairies  spun. 
The  solid  earth  is  melting  away, 
The  ■chining  hours  pass  noiselessly 
A  woof  of  shadow  and  sun. 

But  a  storm  that  we  felt  not  had  risen  and  rolled 
While  lost  in  this  fair  reverie, 
And  when  we  awoke  in  the  morning,  behold, 
Our  castle  had  vanished  away." 


SAN  FRANCISCO. 

THE  CITY  or  GOLD — CHINATOWN — WESTERN  WEATHER. 

WE  left  Monterey  April  8th,  and  the  same 
evening  reached  San  Francisco,  a  city  well 
known  to  all  your  readers,  and  which  many 
of  them  have  visited ;  description  would  be  superflu- 
ous. Everybody  has  heard  of  the  Palace  Hotel,  an 
edifice  that  merits  the  royal  appellation,  with  one 
thousand  and  sixteen  rooms,  capable  of  accommodat- 
ing two  thousand  eight  hundred  guests.  They  have 
seen  the  wondrous  locomotion  of  cable  cars,  like 
Southey's  Ship  of  Heaven  : 

"  Hands  that  we  cannot  see  let  slip 
The  cable  of  that  magic  ship; 
Swift  as  an  arrow  in  its  flight 
The  car  shoots  by  in  day  or  night, 
Smooth  as  a  swan  when  not  a  breeze  at  even 
Disturbs  the  surface  of  the  silver  stream, 
Through  storm  or  sunshine  sails  the  Ship  of  Heaven." 

How  greatly  differing  from  that  of  the  poet  laure- 
ate is  the  descrijation  of  the  Chinaman  :  "  No  pushee, 
no  pullee ;  go  like  hellee  ! " 

Your  readers  know  all  about  the  land-locked  har- 
bor, embosomed   in   hills,   beautiful   as  a   mountain 


JSfotes  of  Travel.  97 

lake ;  they  have  heard  of  the  Seal  Eocks,  where  the 
strange  amphibia  swim  like  fishes,  climb  like  mon- 
keys, play  like  puppies  and  roar  like  lions ;  they  have 
visited  the  Mint,  Chinatown,  the  Joss  Houses  and  all 
the  Golden  Places  —  the  Golden  Gate,  the  Golden 
Park,  the  Golden  Street  (albeit  not  leading  to  the 
New  Jerusalem)  ;  they  have  perchance  made  pur- 
chases at  the  store  of  the  Golden  Rule  and  have  found 
a  fleece  unlike  that  of  Greek  fable ;  if  fond  of  narcot- 
ics they  may  have  smoked  the  Golden  Clip ;  they 
may  have  walked  in  the  Golden  Way  and  lodged  at 
the  Golden  Bee. 

Friends  call  upon  us ;  the  talk  is  of  gold,  or  its 
equivalent.  One  would  suppose  that  King  Midas  had 
gone  tipsy  through  the  streets,  reeling  against  every- 
thing as  he  passed ;  everything  seems  golden  but  the 
lining  of  our  purses ;  strange  to  say,  that  rapidly 
degenerates  into  nickel-plate. 

Everybody  is  v/ide  awake ;  eyes  are  like  hawks ; 
motions  quick  and  restless.  The  streets  are  mostly 
U23  hill  and  down;  thoroughfares  are  thronged ;  the 
shops  and  goods  are  handsome,  the  prices  high. 

San  Francisco  is  situated  on  sandy,  treeless  hills 
and  rocks.  It  is  irregular  and  uneven,  reminds  one 
of  the  Island  of  Jamaica,  which  is  likened  in  its  to- 
pography to  a  crumpled  piece  of  paper.  The  streets 
are  ill-2Daved,  the  buildings  wanting  in  architectural 
beauty,  though  the  more  recent  public  structures  and 
the  dwellings  of  the  millionaires  are  very  fine. 

But  San  Francisco  is  not  yet  fifty  years  old ;  its 
growth  and  j^rosperity,  since  the  discovery  of  gold  in 


98  Notes  of  Travel. 

'49,  is  without  precedent ;  its  defects  are  merely 
those  of  youth. 

Pcrliaps  more  than  a  passing  notice  shoukl  he  given 
to  Cliinatown.  Thither  we  were  drawn,  as  by  a  mag- 
net, and  once  in  these  strange  quarters  seemed  to  be 
in  the  celestial  empire;  and  we  were  in  reality 
nearer  the  coast  of  Japan  than  our  own  home.  The 
streets  in  this  part  of  the  city  are  filled  with  Orien- 
tals. Their  diminutive  figures,  oblique  set  eyes, 
braided  hair,  pleasant  faces,  long  black  frocks  with 
loose  sleeves,  and  flat,  conical  crowned  hats,  attract 
the  curious  eye. 

In  the  cellars  and  on  the  sidewalks  are  markets  in 
which  dried  fish  and  frogs,  strange  vegetables,  un- 
knowable and  indescribable  articles  of  diet  are  sold. 
At  four  p.  m.  a  bell  rings  and  people  hurry  through 
the  streets  to  the  restaurants.  Among  them  are 
mild-faced  women  with  babies  in  their  arms ;  cun- 
ning little  children  in  clumsy  dresses;  little  boys 
with  bangles  on  their  ankles.  We  see  them  eating 
unfamiliar  dishes,  tossing  the  food  into  their  mouths 
"with  chop-sticks.  We  go  into  the  stores,  are  fasci- 
nated by  the  strange  wares,  and  make  innumerable 
purchases.  The  merchant  gives  preference  to  some 
fabrics  over  others,  saying:  ''This  not  so  best;  this 
more  best  color,  if  washee,  he  no  break  up."  We 
watch  with  interest  the  figuring  of  the  bill  upon  a 
wooden  frame  where  wires  are  stretched,  strung  with 
balls  of  different  colors.  These  fly  back  and  forth 
under  the  skilful  fingers  of  the  accountant,  and 
almost  instantly  the  sum  total  is  announced. 


JVotes  of  Travel.  99 

The  manners  of  the  Chinaman  are  pleasant,  their 
speech  quaint,  their  wares  are  curious ;  yet  upon 
many  sallow  and  drawn  faces  can  be  seen  the  shriv- 
elling brand  of  the  opium  habit.  For  the  benefit  of 
any  who  wish  to  visit  the  stores  I  append  a  few  names 
of  the  principal  business  firms,  as  we  noted  them  dur- 
ing our  walk  in  Chinatown  :  Wo  Sang,  Quong  Din 
Kee,  Wing  On  Wah,  Yung  Lung,  Hang  For  Low, 
Tuck  Hop,  and,  strangest  of  all,  Yan  Kee  Fun. 

The  government  of  China  is  patriarchal  ;  the  relig- 
ion is  mainly  ancestor  worship.  We  went  into  a  Joss 
House  or  temple,  where  the  few  sacred  rites  are 
practiced.  We  entered  freely,  for  the  doors  always 
stand  open.  No  fee  is  required,  no  janitor  is  in 
attendance.  On  the  first  floor  were  arrangements 
evidently  for  funeral  services.  Above  was  a  room 
decorated  with  gilt  and  colored  screens,  rich  embroid- 
eries, lamps  and  bronzes,  banners  and  artificial  flowers. 
An  immense  amount  of  wealth  had  been  expended  in 
the  decoration  of  this  apartment. 

Before  a  kind  of  altar  in  the  middle  of  the  room 
was  a  covered  shelf  or  table,  where  round  sieves  or 
riddles  had  been  placed,  in  the  perforations  of  which 
stood  lighted  incense  sticks.  These  burned  slowly 
and  filled  the  temple  with  a  pleasant  fragrance.  The 
Chinese  believe  that  the  spirits  of  the  dead  still  crave 
things  connected  with  their  former  lives,  but  being 
of  an  ethereal  nature  can  receive  them  only  in  a  sub- 
limated form ;  all  offerings  are  therefore  burned. 
Behind  the  altar  was  a  dark  recess  in  which  the 
image  of  a  man  was  sitting  on  a  throne.     11  is  robes 


lOO  yotes  of  Travel. 

were  gorgeous,  his  complexion  very  dark.  We  were 
told  that  this  effigy  represented  a  famous  Chinese 
warrior,  brother  of  one  of  the  early  emperors.  I 
think  this  must  have  been  the  famous  Tartar  Budd- 
ha, Sakya  Sinha,  Lion  of  the  Moon,  although  the 
name  as  given  was  not  identical.  There  were  only 
ten  chairs  in  this  place  of  worship,  five  on  each  side 
of  the  altar. 

The  tea  houses  or  restaurants,  are  also  interesting 
objects.  The  fronts  of  these  airy  buildings  are  gay 
with  balconies,  verandas,  lanterns  and  streamers — all 
painted  in  bright  colors,  vermillion  and  green,  with 
a  profusion  of  gilt. 

The  Chinese  embassy  arrived  during  our  stay  in  San 
Francisco,  and  were  guests  at  the  Palace.  The  high 
dignitaries  were  seldom  seen,  as  they  did  not  conde- 
scend to  patronize  the  dining  room,  but  had  their  meals 
brouglit  from  the  Chinese  quarters  in  covered  trays. 

The  western  coast  is  at  present  suffering  from  a 
violent  attack  of  Chinaphobia,  a  phase,  no  doubt,  of 
the  moral  and  mental  unsettlement  that  exists  all 
over  the  world ;  the  same  conditions  that  produce 
riots,  strikes,  boycotts  and  other  irrational  outbreaks. 
It  is  difficult  for  an  unprejudiced  observer  to  discover 
any  cause  for  antipathy  to  the  Cliinese.  The  uni- 
versal testimony  is  that  they  are  patient,  diligent, 
honest;  they  do  their  work  thoroughly  and  for  small 
wages.  Their  faults  and  vices  are  common  to  all 
crowded  populations,  and  are  as  patent  and  abhor- 
rent among  white  men  in  London,  Paris  and  New 
York,  as  amone:  Chinamen  in  San  Francisco. 


JVbtes  of  Travel.  loi 

The  morning  after  our  return  from  Monterey  was 
lowery ;  gray,  watery  clouds  streaked  the  sky ;  the 
weather,  evidently  brooding  over  some  unspoken 
grievance,  to  follow  the  fashion,  contemplated  a  boy- 
cott. A  faint,  luminous  break  in  the  clouds  gave  us 
courage,  and  we  hastened  out  to  do  our  shopping. 
Irresistibly  we  were  drawn  toward  Chinatown,  but 
soon  discovered  by  antagonistic  currents  and  unfamil- 
iar surroundings,  that  we  had  lost  our  way.  We 
hailed  a  gigantic  policeman,  who,  in  answer  to  our 
questions,  admitted  that  we  were  ''in  about  the  worst 
part  of  the  city,"  kindly  piloted  us  to  the  end  of  his 
beat,  and  gave  us  directions  for  our  further  walk. 

We  entered  into  the  Chinese  stores,  emjitied  our 
purses  into  the  money  drawer  and  took  from  shelf 
and  counter  strange  and  curious  wares. 

The  threatened  rain  now  began  to  fall  in  torrents ; 
a  close  carriage  was  procured,  our  numerous  bundles 
were  placed  therein,  ourselves  squeezed  in  after  them 
and  we  returned  to  the  hotel.  The  pouring  rain  con- 
tinued and  the  day  closed  with  a  violent  storm. 

April  10th  we  woke  to  find  the  storm  still  impla- 
cable. A  sourer,  more  sullen,  vixenish  day  I  have 
never  seen.  The  head  of  the  weather,  from  our  win- 
dows, appeared  utterly  dishevelled ;  the  vapors,  like 
unkempt  locks,  were  blown  and  twisted  in  every  direc- 
tion ;  the  face  of  the  sky  was  dark  and  scowling. 
Tears,  not  of  grief  but  rage,  fell  from  its  bleared 
eyes ;  floods  of  water  were  poured  from  its  dripi)ing 
buckets,  drenching  the  buildings  and  making  rivers 
of  the  streets.     "  How  the  sleet  whipped  the  panes  !" 


I02  JVbtes  of  Travel. 

An  ark  and  an  Ararat  seemed  necessary  to  rescue  the 
people.  Make  no  more  boast  of  your  perfect  climate. 
Mistress  California.  A  gloomier,  fouler  day  upon 
New  England  never  dawned. 

At  noon  the  clouds  "stinted,''  to  use  a  Shakespear- 
ism.  We  took  advantage  of  the  propitious  moment 
to  call  upon  friends  who  had  bestowed  many  kind 
attentions,  but  before  we  returned  the  rain  again  set 
in,  poured  all  the  evening  and  most  of  the  night. 

Sunday  morning  the  sun  was  shining,  but  a  vapory 
horizon  gave  token  of  continued  unsettlement  of  the 
weather.  However,  we  went  to  cliurch  and  heard  a 
sermon  upon  the  unusual  and  obscure  text,  ""  And  it 
repented  the  Lord  that  He  had  made  man  on  the 
earth,  and  it  grieved  Him  to  the  heart."  The  ex- 
planation was  unsatisfactory,  the  argument  weak,  not 
even  specious.  It  was  a  daring  attempt  to  reconcile 
that  which,  from  the  preacher's  standpoint,  was  irrec- 
oncilable, while  one  ray  from  another  direction  would 
have  resolved  every  difficulty. 

A  number  of  friends  call  in  the  evening  to  bid  us 
farewell,  for  the  morrow  is  to  witness  our  departure. 
That  which  has  been  rain  on  the  coast  has  been  snow 
on  the  mountains;  it  is  reported  four  feet  deep  in 
the  Sierra  Nevadas. 


THE   RETURN. 

PLAINS   OF  SACRAMENTO — ATMOSPHERIC  PHENOMENA 

—  PASSAGE  OF  THE  SIERRA  NEYADAS  —  UNDER  THE 
SNOW-SHEDS — VISIONS  OF  THE  NIGHT  —  THE  GREAT 
AMERICAN    DESERT.  •" 

WE  left  the  station  at  Oakland,  April  13th,  our 
faces  for  the  first  time  turned  homeward. 
The  roiite  lay  across  the  plains  of  Sacra- 
mento to  the  city  of  that  name,  now  the  capital  of 
California.  These  plains,  one  hundred  miles  in 
length,  are  exceedingly  fertile,  but  being  only  fifty 
feet  above  the  sea  level  at  the  highest  point,  are 
subject  to  malarial  diseases.  The  flats  were,  at  the 
time  of  our  passing  them,  almost  covered  with  water 
from  the  heavy  rains.  The  city  is  only  fifteen  feet 
above  the  low  water  mark  of  the  river  that  runs 
through  it,  but  the  principal  streets  have  been  raised, 
and  the  banks  of  the  stream  protected  by  levees.  A 
slight  volcanic  subsidence  would  make  this  plain  once 
more  an  inland  sea. 

As  we  left  Sacramento,  about  eight  o'clock,  we  ob- 
served a  remarkable  appearance  in  the  eastern  heav- 
ens. High  up  in  the  clear  sky  were  the  great  planets 
Mars,  Jupiter  and  Saturn,  and  although  invisible,  we 


104  JVotes  of  Travel. 

knew  that  in  this  same  region  distant  Neptune  held 
his  course.  "Beneath  this  constellation  of  planets, 
near  the  earth,  hung  a  great  cloud  in  the  shape  of  a 
roll.  We  had  no  means  of  calculating  its  size  accu- 
rately, but  it  seemed  thirty  or  forty  degrees  in  length 
and  half  that  number  in  circumference.  The  bright 
moon. made  the  upper  portion  white  as  a  thunder 
head,  the  lower  part  was  of  inky  blackness,  and  the 
earth  beneath  was  cast  into  a  Tartarean  shadow. 
Streaks  of  black  vapor  went  up  to  the  ajiex  of  the 
cloud,  which  seemed  to  be-  lowering  upon  the  ])lain. 
This  strange  apparition  reminded  us  of  descriptions 
of  on-coming  earthquakes  and  cyclones ;  we  wondered 
if  the  extraordinary  nimbus  would  overtake  and  de- 
molish our  train ;  but  the  swift  engine  bore  us  away 
and  the  cloud  was  seen  no  more. 

As  I  was  copying  the  rough  sketch  of  this  cloud  a 
day  or  two  afterward,  one  of  our  party  read  from  the 
Salt  Lake  Tribune,  just  brought  into  the  car,  an 
account  of  the  terrible  cyclones  which  struck  St. 
Cloud,  Sauk  Rapids  and  other  places  in  Minnesota, 
and  passed  over  some  portions  of  Illinois,  on  the 
morning  of  the  14th.  Was  the  phenomenon  we  saw 
in  the  eastern  sky,  twenty  hours  previously,  the  nu- 
cleus of  electrical  forces  then  gathering  for  such  an 
awful  onset  ? 

Shortly  after  eight  o'clock  we  began  the  ascent  of 
the  Sierre  Nevadas.  The  snow-fall  is  so  deep  in  the 
mountains  the  railroad  company  have  been  obliged  to 
build  snow-sheds  thirty-six  miles  in  length  to  protect 
the  track.     The  scenery  is  said  to  be  very  fine ;  travel- 


JSfotes  of  Travel.  105 

ers  do  not  see  it  however,  as  trains  make  the  trip  both 
ways  in  the  night.  Wise  management,  for  no  one  in 
his  sober  senses  would  dare  the  perilous  feat  with  his 
eyes  open.  Here  "ignorance  (of  one's  surroundings) 
is  bliss." 

The  low  rates,  and  perhaps  some  vague  instinct  we 
may  not  fathom,  has  drawn  an  army  of  tourists  to 
the  Pacific  coast  this  season.  The  railroad  officials 
find  it  almost  impossible  to  handle  the  immense  traf- 
fic; fifteen  private  cars  stood  upon  the  track  at  Oak- 
land, the  railroad  station  of  San  Francisco,  at  the 
time  we  left. 

Twenty-three  passenger  cars  went  out  on  our  train. 
These  were  divided  into  three  sections,  with  two  pow- 
erful engines,  a  pusher  and  a  puller,  for  each  ;  such 
an  equipment  betokened  the  tremendous  labor  re- 
quired. To  reach  the  town  of  Eeno  the  jionderous 
machines  must  force  their  way  up  mountain  steeps 
and  along  sheer  precipices  till  they  attain  an  elevation 
of  nearly  seven  thousand  feet ;  defying  the  law  of 
gravitation,  battling  with  wind,  snow  and  midnight 
shadows,  and  dragging  their  burden  of  loaded  cars. 
As  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  we  retired  early,  and 
a  sense  of  unusual  danger  weighed  down  our  spirits  as 
we  fell  into  uneasy  dreams. 

The  night  waned ;  we  were  conscious  that  the  mo- 
tion of  the  train  gradually  became  slower;  the  cough 
of  the  toiling  engines  was  hoarse  and  intermittent ; 
the  sounds  peculiar  to  railroad  travel  seemed  exagger- 
ated and  hollow.  For  hours  we  had  been  climbing; 
where  are  we  now  ?     Misty  vagaries  float  through  the 


io6  JSFotes  of  Travel. 

brain.     Half  asleep  we  murmur  a  modification  of  an 
old  Mother  Goose  refrain  : 

"  The  roof  of  your  wonderful  car,  sir, 
Has  gone  up  so  wonderful  high, 
That  as  the  great  train  rumbles  forward, 
It  rattles  against  the  sky." 

The  engines  slowed,  slowed,  then  stopped ;  the 
noises  ceased — we  seemed  to  be  sealed  up  in  a  cistern  ! 
Presently  the  silence  was  broken,  there  was  a  great 
commotion  among  the  engines,  trumpeting,  bellow- 
ing, signaling;  their  voices  roared,  rolled,  reverber- 
ated— "  One,  two,  three  ! "  they  shrieked.  Back  came 
a  hollow  answer,  "One,  two,  three  !" 

Again  they  thundered,  "One,  two,  three!"  and 
now  a  more  distant  echo,  "One,  two,  three!" 

It  was  the  signal  Go  ! ! 

Away  went  section  Number  One  with  its  rattling 
train ;  our  section.  Number  Two,  dashed,  after,  fol- 
lowed closely  by  Number  Three,  as  in  a  race  for  life. 
Down,  down  they  went  with  reckless  speed,  the  mo- 
tion each  instant  increasing;  swifter,  swifter,  as  if  all 
the  goblins  of  the  mountains  were  in  pursuit  of  the 
flying  trains. 

In  vain  we  strove  to  dull  our  sense  of  danger,  to 
close  our  ears  to  the  inexplicable  sounds,  to  compel 
the  oblivion  of  slumber.  Our  weird  and  unnatural 
surroundings  mingle  with  half-waking  dreams.  We 
are  the  solitary  Manu  of  Eastern  story,  and  Vishnu 
the  Preserver,  in  form  of  a  fish,  is  dragging  us  through 
the  waters  of  the  Deluge.  The  sides  of  the  friendly 
monster  graze  a  mountain,  we  are  scrambling  ashore. 


Notes  of  Travel.  107 

when  ji  change  comes  over  the  spirit  of  our  dream. 
The  great  Roc  of  Sinbad  the  Sailor  flaps  its  wings 
above  ns ;  we  are  seized  in  its  talons  and  borne  aloft 
through  the  sky.  Jnst  as  we  are  about  to  fall  into 
the  Valley  of  Diamonds  it  is  changed  into  the  Medi- 
teranean  Sea,  and  lo  !  we  are  talking  with  Jonah  in 
the  cabin  of  his  safe  but  extraordinary  craft,  which 
is  tearing  through  the  waves  at  a  fearful  rate,  chased 
by  a  Phoenecian  whaler,  A  terrible  storm  is  raging, 
thunder  rumbles  overhead,  flashes  of  lightning  dazzle 
our  eyes. 

We  wake  with  a  start  to  find  our  car  rushing 
through  the  last  of  the  snow-sheds;  the  thunder  was 
the  reverberation  of  the  train  against  the  wooden 
roofs;  the  lightnings  were  flashes  of  sunlight  and 
snow  through  the  infrequent  windows.  Day  had 
come ;  the  pass  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  was  accom- 
plished ;  we  were  at  the  town  of  Reno,  We  rose 
with  aching  heads,  buzzing  ears  and  all  the  dis- 
agreeable symptoms  attendant  upon  such  flights  into 
the  clouds,  but  thankful  that  another  range  of 
mountains  walling  us  from  our  beloved  home  had 
been  scaled  in  safety. 

From  Wadsworth,  Nevada,  to  Corrienne,  Utah,  is 
seven  hundred  miles;  of  this  only  sixty  miles  is  set  in 
the  guide  books  as  the  Great  American  Desert,  but  to 
the  eye  of  the  traveler  it  extends  the  entire  distance. 
A  more  dismal,  melancholy  scene  can  scarcely  be  im- 
agined. One  writer  in  describing  it  says  :  "  The 
earth,  alkaline  and  powdered,  is  whirled  up  by  the 
least  wind ,  into  blinding  clouds  of  dust ;  rivers  dis- 


io8  JVotes  of  Travel. 

appear  in  it,  no  kind  of  vegetation  will  live  save  the 
pallid  sage  brush.  The  only  animals  are  lizards  and 
the  jack  rahbit.  The  land  seems  to  have  been  deso- 
lated by  fire  ;  the  blight  that  oppresses  it  is  indescri))- 
able.  The  serrated  mountains  that  break  the  level  are 
devoid  of  vegetation  from  foot  to  crest,  and  are  of  a 
dull  leaden  gray  or  brown.  Sahara  itself  cannot  sur- 
pass this  desert  in  woe-begone  infertility." 

Words  do  not  convey  an  adequate  idea  of  the  gloom 
of  these  plains,  stretching  away  in  every  direction  to 
a  wall  of  frowning  mountains  that  bar  out  the  sky 
and  hem  the  desert  in.  At  the  present  time  many 
ranges  are  covered  with  snow  and  disjjlay  an  unusual 
variety  of  color  effect.  The  loftiest  i^eaks  tower  above 
the  vapors  and  the  unclouded  sun  renders  their  tops 
more  dazzling  than  any  thunder-head ;  they  are  moun- 
tains of  light.  Others,  in  the  shadow  of  storm  clouds, 
are  colorless  or  of  a  chilly  gray,  j)ale  as  the  ghosts  of 
hills.  Sometimes  they  are  heaped  in  toppling  piles 
against  the  sky,  and  again  in  regular  thick  set  sierra, 
like  the  wdiite  teeth  of  a  monster  shark. 

But  whether  snow-capped  or  bald,  piercing  the 
clouds  or  lying  scattered  upon  the  plain,  glittering  in 
noonday  sun,  purpling  in  twilight,  or  rising  black 
under  the  faint  rays  of  the  moon,  they  are  ever  pres- 
ent, pursuing  the  traveler  like  a  waking  nightmare, 
an  expected  surprise,  a  familiar  wonder ;  beautiful  but 
terrible  in  the  majesty  of  desolation. 


Cl)aptcr  Ci^ijctccn* 

SALT  LAKE  CITY  AND  THE  MORMONS. 

THE  CURSE  OF  POLYCxAMY  —  PUBLIC  BUILDINGS  —  THE 
ENDOWMENT  HOUSE  —  THE  IMPRECATIOlSr  —  BRIG- 
HAM's    FAVORITE — THE  AVAGES   OF   SI^S^. 

"  Eveiy  man  f5hall  receive  according  to  the  deeil.s  done  in  the  1)ody." 

APRIL  14th  our  way  tracked  the  Great  Salt  Lake, 
the  Dead  Sea  of  the  American  continent.  It 
lies  among  the  Wasatch  Mountains,  is  seventy 
miles  long  and  thirty  wide,  but  very  shallow — in  some 
places  only  two  or  three  feet  deep.  Although  it  is  four 
thousand  two  hundred  feet  above  the  ocean,  the  water 
is  so  impregnated  with  salt  a  man  will  float  upon  the 
surface  if  his  arms  are  extended ;  taken  into  the 
mouth  it  causes  strangulation,  and  a  drop  in  the  eye 
burns  like  fire.  No  fish  can  live  in  these  noxious 
waters,  and  though  several  rivers  empt}^  into  the 
basin  there  is  no  outlet.  About  eight  miles  south  of 
this  anomalous  inland  sea,  upon  a  level  amphitheatre 
formed  by  the  Wasatch  Mountains,  the  notorious 
apostle  of  Mormonism  founded  his  city. 

Soon  after  our  arrival  we  took  a  carriage  and 
drove  to  the  heights  above,  where  a  fine  view  is 
obtained.     The   dark  blue   mountains  were   covered 


iio  J\7>/e.s-  of  Travel. 

with  new  fallen  snow,  affording  a  contrast  of  ex- 
ceeding beauty.  A  sluggish  river,  called  the  Jordan, 
winds  through  the  fertile  plain  like  a  loose  rib- 
bon. The  streets  of  the  city,  one  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  feet  wide,  are  regularly  laid  out  according 
to  the  points  of  the  compass.  Tliey  are  well-shaded 
and  furnished  on  each  side  with  open  conduits  of 
water  that  freshen  the  air  and  carry  off  all  impurity — 
no,  not  quite  all!  Some  of  the  modern  dwellings 
are  fine;  particularly  noticeable  is  that  of  George  Q. 
Cannon,  representative  to  Congress,  a  Mormon,  a 
j)olygamist,  and  at  present  a  fugitive  from  Justice. 
He  has  broken  his  bail,  forty-five  Hiousand  dollars, 
which  the  deluded  disciples  must  pay.  The  older 
houses  are  of  wood,  low,  mean,  and  in  construction 
suggestive.  They  almost  always  have  two  front 
doors,  we  saw  some  with  three. 

There  are  tliirty  thousand  inhabitants  in  the  city, 
and  in  each  of  the  twenty-three  wards  is  a  meeting- 
house and  Zion's  Co-operative  Mercantile  Association, 
over  the  doors  of  which  are  placed  the  All-Seeing  Eye 
and  the  legend,  "  Holiness  to  the  Lord."  As  we  looked, 
upon  these  blasi)hemous  appeals  to  a  God  of  purity 
and  love,  our  thoughts  reverted  almost  with  com- 
plaisancy  to  the  El  Paso  sign  board,  "Jesus  C. 
Dobie,  Liquor  Dealer."  The  aspect  of  the  people  we 
saw  at  this  time  and  afterward,  as  we  walked  the 
streets,  was  so  forbidding  that  we  could  but  exclaim 
with  an  English  poet,  "Oh,  God,  what  base,  ignoble 
faces  ! "  Those  of  the  old  men  are  what  we  call  hard  ; 
that  is,  selfish,  sensual,  cunning,  cruel ;  the  younger 


JVofes  of  Travel.  iii 

men  are  bold,  impudent,  boisterous — first-class  row- 
dies.    The  women- — but  I  spare  them  ! 

Almost  the  entire  pojiulation  are  Mormons,  between 
whom  and  the  Christians  irreconcilable  enmity  exists. 
The  latter  say  that  Eastern  people  have  no  concep- 
tion of  the  horrors  of  the  system.  Young  girls  run 
away  from  home  and  take  up  the  ignominious  life  of 
a  mining  camp  rather  than  be  sealed  to  a  Mormon. 
The  brutality  of  Mormon  husbands  is  most  revolting. 
A  man  told  us  he  heard  Brigham  Young  say  from 
the  pulpit,  ''Turn  your  wives  out  into  the  field, 
compel  them  to  gather  the  crops ;  if  you  can't  get 
enough  without,  take  squaws." 

A  young  Englishman  became  a  convert  under  the 
teachings  of  a  Mormon  missionary  and  brought  his 
young  wife  lo  Utah.  One  of  the  elders  coveted  this 
woman.  He  sent  the  husband  away  on  some  distant 
expedition,  and  during  his  absence  visited  the  wife 
and  told  her  his  desire.  She  said:  '"But  I  am 
already  married.  I  love  my  husband  and  I  cannot 
be  your  wife."  "  Oh,  I  can  get  a  divorce  easily," 
said  he.  But  the  w^oman  would  not  listen.  Soon 
after  she  disappeared,  and  the  wicked  elder,  under 
dreadful  threats,  compelled  the  neighbors  to  declare 
when  the  husband  returned,  that  his  wife  had  run 
away  with  another  man. 

The  elder  was  a  confirmed  drunkard,  and  during  a 
debauch  he  exposed  the  fact  that  he  had  murdered 
the  woman,  thrown  her  into  a  well  and  filled  it  with 
earth  and  stones.  No  one  dared  investigate  till  the 
elder  died;   then  the  well  was  opened  and  the  man- 


1 1 2  J^otes  of  Travel. 

gled  body  was  found.  A  lady  who  had  seen  the  hus- 
band told  me  he  was  from  the  time  of  his  misfortune 
a  silent,  melancholy,  broken-hearted  man,  but  he  had 
never  dared  to  complain.  There  is  no  hojie  of  justice 
in  Mormon  courts.  The  most  flagrant  outrages 
and  fiendish  crimes  are  not  only  connived  at,  but 
actually  planned  by  the  highest  officials,  who,  if  their 
own  necks  are  imperilled  by  the  possibility  of  expos- 
ure, will  ruthlessly  sacrifice  their   miserable  agents. 

But  enough  —  I  will  not  pain  my  readers  by  tran- 
scribing the  chapter  of  horrors  related  by  credible 
witnesses;  yet  there  is  one  true  story  in  which  the 
pathetic  and  ludicrous  meet  in  a  manner  to  rival  any 
fiction  of  Charles  Dickens,  which  I  am  tempted  to 
repeat. 

Miss  Sybil  Carter,  who  was  sent  out  by  the  New 
West  Educational  Commission  relates  the  following 
experience : 

"Once  a  curious  thing  happened.  A  very  ugly 
looking  man  came  to  the  school  house  to  do  some 
repairing.  After  it  was  completed  I  began  to  wish  he 
would  go,  but  as  he  lingered  I  asked  :  "Is  there  any- 
thing more  to  be  done  ?" 

"  Oh,"  said  he,  "  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  you  all  in 
the  States  hated  us!" 

There  was  something  bitter  and  strange  in  his 
m'auner. 

I  said,  "  Well,  the  old  times  are  gone  by,  and  they 
will  not  come  back  any  more." 

"  But  they  would,"  he  said,  "  if  Brigham  wasn't 
dead.     I'm  glad  Brigham's  dead  !" 


1 


JVofes  of  Travel.  113 

''So  am  I,"  said  I,  "if  that  is  the  way  it  is  —  but 
let  the  old  times  go,  and  don't  think  of  them.  Think 
of  something  better."' 

But  he  replied,  "  Brigham  made  us  do  some  awful 
things,  and  we  would  have  had  our  own  throats  cut 
if  we  had  refused.  Once  Brigham  called  out  nfty- 
four  men — four  came  from  Lehi.  There  is  one  there 
now  who  was  among  them.  Tliey  had  three  hundred 
Indians  who  were  to  act  as  spies  on  the  Mormons." 
Then  he  told  me  the  Avhole  details  of  one  of  the  cruel 
Mormon  excursions.  Among  other  things  he  said 
the  victims  were  suffering  with  thirst  and  sent  a  little 
girl  with  a  j^itcher  to  a  spring  to  get  some  water. 
The  child  started  off  but  had  not  run  a  dozen  yards 
when  she  fell  pierced  with  twenty  bullets.  He  said 
he  had  never  since  closed  his  eyes  without  seeing  the 
little  girl  with  the  white  dress  and  long  yellow  curls. 
I  was  so  impressed  with  the  evident  sorrow  and  re- 
morse of  the  man  for  these  things  in  which  he  had, 
though  unwillingly,  partaken,  that  I  asked  him  if  he 
did  not  want  to  get  right  down  on  his  knees  and  ask 
God  to  forgive  him.  Then  I  kneeled  and  prayed 
with  all  my  heart.  Before  I  could  think,  he  kneeled 
down  too,  and  made  this  prayer.  It  was  so  short  I 
shall  never  forget  it : 

''Lord  God  Almighty,  I  ain't  much  used  to  talk- 
ing with  ye,  but  I  want  you  to  hear  every  word  this 
young  woman  has  said,  and  I'll  never  do  it  again  — 
you  bet ! " 

The  principal  public  buildings  in  Salt  Lake  City 
belong  to  this  detestable  sect,  and   are    in  a  walled 


114  JVotes  of  Travel. 

enclosure  called  Temple  Block.  Tlie  principal  one 
is  the  Tabernacle,  an  immense  circular  building 
with  a  dome  for  a  roof,  an  awkward  but  commo- 
dious edifice,  capable  of  seating  ten  thousand  persons. 
At  the  time  of  our  visit  the  great  ceiling  was 
profusely  decorated  with  faded  evergreen  wreaths. 
*' These, ^'  I  said  to  the  guide,  "are  presumably 
Christmas  wreaths."  "No,"  he  replied,  "they  were 
put  there  for  a  Sunday  school  festival  in  1875.  It 
was  found  they  did  not  deteriorate  the  costic  proper- 
ties, so  they  are  left."  Literary  accuracy  is  evidently 
not  among  the  Mormon  accomplishments. 

The  church  proi)er,  a  small,  ornate  building,  is 
used  in  severely  cold  weather,  being  more  easily 
heated  than  the  Tabernacle.  While  viewing  the 
frescoes  of  this  church,  which  are  in  singular  taste, 
being  representations  of  other  Mormon  temples  de- 
13icted  on  the  ceiling,  our  attention  was  drawn  to  a 
colossal  painting  over  the  gallery. 

"This,"  said  the  guide,  "is  Maroni  telling  the 
young  man  where  to  find  the  golden  tablets — the 
Mormon  Bible." 

"  Who  is  Maroni  ?"  I  innocently  asked. 

"  He  is  one  of  the  three.  There  was  Maroni,  Lehi 
and  Mormon." 

"Then  Mormon  was  a  man." 

"Yes.  The  three  led  the  people  of  this  country 
as  Moses  led  the  children  of  Israel  out  of  the  Avilder- 
ness.     There  were  people  in  this  country." 

"  Ah,"  said  I.     "  Who  is  the  young  man  ?" 

"  Why,  that  is  Joseph  Smith." 


Xotes  of  Travel.  115 

"  When  did  this  happen  ?" 

''In  1830,  near  Palmyra,  New  York." 

"  Where  are  the  tablets  now  ?" 

''  Why,  they  are — they  are — most  of  them  with- 
drawn up  into  the — into  the  divine." 

This  all  as  soberly  as  a  child  repeating  a  fable,  but 
it  is  not  possible  the  man  believed  what  he  was 
saying. 

Another  building  in  this  enclosure  is  called  the 
Endowment  House.  Why  endowment  I  cannot  im- 
agine, for  everything  worth  living  for  in  a  woman's 
life  is  here  taken  away.  In  this  den  the  secret  rites 
of  Mormonism  are  practiced,  or  rather  perpetrated, 
and  marriages  are  enforced  on  unwilling  victims. 
Here  poor  helpless  women  have  been  endowed  with 
their  half,  or  tenth,  or  twentieth  part  of  a  husband, 
as  the  case  might  be,  by  the  hand  of  the  devil  in  the 
likeness  of  Brigham  Young. 

The  formula  of  the  horrible  threat  and  imprecation 
used  at  the  Endowment  House  is  given  as  follows  by 
one  who  escaped  from  bondage  : 

THE  THREAT. 

"  If  you  repeat  anything  relating  to  the  ceremonies  through  which 
you  have  ah-eady  passed,  your  throat  will  be  cut  from  ear  to  ear." 

THE  SELF-IMPRECATION. 
"  If  ever  I  reveal  the  seci-ets  of  this  house,  may  my  tongue  be  torn  out 
by  the  roots,  my  heart  and  bowels  cut  out  while  I  am  yet  alive ;  and  if  I 
escape  in  this  world,  may  all  these  penalties  overtake  me  in  the  morn- 
ing of  the  Resurrection." 

Oh,  the  heartaches,  the  bitterness,  the  smothered 
agony,  the  cries  unavailing  these  walls  have  wit- 
nessed ;   the  brutish  sensuality,  the  fiendish  cruelty 


ii6  JVotes  of  Travel. 

which  have  in  tliis  accursed  building  leered  or  glared 
from  under  a  religious  cloak  ! 

But  the  most  imposing  structure  in  this  citadel  of 
Satan  is  the  Temple — a  magnificent  white  granite 
edifice,  commenced  in  1853  and  still  in  process  of 
construction.  The  cost  will  be  ten  millions  of  dol- 
lars, wrung  from  the  toil  of  fanatical  men  and  wom- 
en. The  walls  are  mostly  finished,  the  towers  and 
roofs  are  to  be  added  and  the  interior  constructed. 
On  the  front  and  rear  walls  are  carved  medallions, 
representing  two  clasped  hands.  If  this  means  Mor- 
mon marriage,  the  fundamental  idea  of  this  infernal 
institution,  why  not  place  a  man's  hand  on  one  side 
and  a  dozen  or  more  slender  wrists  on  the  other,  not 
joined  in  a  clasp,  but  a  clutch. 

Above  the  hands  on  the  upper  stories,  are  other 
medallions  on  which  are  carved,  so  the  guide  told  us, 
The  All-Seeing  Eye,  and  over  this  device  the 
legend,  Holiness  to  the  Lord.  The  eye  on  the 
rear  wall  is  apparently  overlooking  the  Endowment 
House.  Audacious  blasphemy  I  Why  does  not  the 
indignant  stone  transform  itself  into  a  Medusa  Head 
and  petrify  the  blasphemers  ?  The  Temple  is  not 
designed  as  a  place  of  worship,  bat  for  the  perform- 
ance of  the  secret  rites.  I  looked  down  into  the  sub- 
terranean vaults  walled  in  with  stone,  I  shuddered 
and  hastened  away  from  the  unholy  precincts. 

On  the  o2)posite  street,  in  another  walled  enclosure, 
stands  the  Tithing  House,  to  which  infatuated  disci- 
ples from  all  parts  of  the  territory  bring  tithes  of  all 
they  possess,  a  practice  which  keeps  the  lower  classes 


i 


JVotes  of  Travel.  1 1 7 

poverty  stricken.  Here  we  saw  men  of  degraded 
aspect,  driving  wagons  loaded  with  various  farm 
products  into  the  large  barn-yards.  In  the  house 
was  a  meat  market  and  many  other  untidy  apart- 
ments. Be3'ond  the  Tithing  House,  but  in  the  same 
enclosure,  are  the  Lion  House  and  the  Bee  House,  so 
called  from  images  of  these  objects  placed  upon  the 
apex  of  the  roofs.  The  use  of  these  last  named  build- 
ings I  did  not  learn. 

Opposite  these  nondescripts,  on  the  other  side  of 
the  main  street,  is  a  large,  elegant  and  pretentious 
dwelling-house,  called  Amelia's  Palace,  built  by  Brig- 
ham  Young  for  his  favorite  wife.  Why  his  favorite  ? 
With  what,  I  hope,  was  a  pardonable  curiosity,  I 
strove  to  learn  the  secret  of  Amelia's  power  over  this 
Yankee  Mahommetan.  For  some  time  I  was  unsuc- 
cessful, but  at  length  I  met  an  honest  man,  a  Gentile, 
who  had  been  a  resident  of  Salt  Lake  City  for  many 
years,  and  the  following  conversation,  ensued : 

*'How  many  children  survive  Brigham,  and  are 
they  sons  or  daughters  ?  " 

'■'  He  left  fifty  children,  mostly  daughters." 

"  What  of  their  character  ?" 

"  The  sons  are  most  of  them  drunkards,  and  some 
of  the  daughters  lead  disreputable  lives.  Each  one 
had  forty  thousand  dollars,  but  the  money  is  being 
squandered  rapidly.  The  Mormons  are  very  intem- 
perate. I  never  saw  men  who  could  equal  them  in 
drinking." 

''Excuse  me,  but  I  wish  to  learii  tbe  secret  of 
Amelia's   power.     Was  she  more  beautiful  than  the 


1 1 8  JVbfes  of  Travel. 

other  seventeen,  or,  as  some  say,  sixty-eight  (a  few 
more  or  less  makes  no  difference  now),  who  shared 
the  attenuated  affection  of  her  lord  ?  " 

"No,  slie  was  well  enough  in  looks,  but  not  hand- 
some." 

"Was  she  younger,  more  accomplished,  intelligent, 
graceful  ? "' 

"None  of  these!" 

"What  then  was  the  secret  of  her  power?"  I 
urged,  for  the  investigation  was  becoming  very 
interesting. 

After  a  moment  of  hesitation  he  replied  directly 
to  the  point  :  "A  strong  will  and  a  tei'rible  temper. 
If  things  didn't  go  to  suit  Amelia  she  raised  a  storm, 
actually  broke  up  furniture  and  smashed  things." 

I  did  not  answer,  but  mentally  made  a  note  of  this 
fact  as  a  valuable  lesson  to  wives  —  simihirly  situated. 

Wlien  Brigham  died,  his  successor,  .John  Taylor, 
took  possession  of  the  palace  and  turned  Amelia  into 
very  humble  quarters. 

All  the  property  in  these  walled  enclosures,  and  a 
great  deal  beside,  to  the  amount  of  ten  millions  it  is 
said,  belonged  to  Brigham.  He  does  not  own  it  now 
—  he  does  not  even  care  for  it  —  he  has  gone  a  long 
journey  to  settle  an  account  that  had  been  running 
eighty-four  years.  That  settlement  has  left  him  a 
beggar  with  a  heavy  debt  on  liis  hands;  willing  or 
unwilling,  he  must  j^ay  it.  Ho  was  a  lord  once,  an 
inexorable  tyrant,  cruel,  unrelenting  ;  men  obeyed 
him  trembling  —  or  had  their  throats  cut.  Now  he 
is  a  slave  chained  to  a  mountain  of  sin,  a  mountain 


i 


JSfotes  of  Travel.  119 

of  his  own  raising,  chains  of  his  own  forging.  He 
does  not  struggle,  he  knows  it  would  be  in  vain,  he 
cannot  forget,  he  cannot  close  his  eyes  to  the  dread- 
ful visions  that  float  before  him  —  the  Danites  at  their 
hellish  work,  the  fainting  wives  and  mothers  as  they 
discover  the  dead  bodies  upon  the  doorsteps ;  the 
ruthless  murder  of  his  helpless  agents  when  their 
testimony  might  implicate  himself. 

"Dead  men  tell  no  tales,''  said  Brigham.  Now  he 
groans  as  he  perceives  his  error.  He  shudders  as  the 
phantom  host  of  Mountain  Meadow  stalk  by  and 
mock  him,  but  he  falls  in  abject  terror  before  the 
spectre  of  a  child,  a  little  girl  whose  golden  locks 
and  snow  white  robes  are  dabbled  with  blood,  who 
points  her  ghostly  finger  and  shrieks,  "I  tell  thee 
thou  comest  not  hence,  until  thou  has  jiaid  the 
uttermost  farthing."" 

This  apostle  of  darkness  is  sometimes  called  saga- 
cious. A  sagacious  man  calculates  remote  conse- 
quences, Brigham  did  not  —  or  still  worse,  he  defied 
them.  Vain  and  miserable  defiance,  "an  hour 
cometh  that  will  requite  all." 

I  saw  the  spot  where  his  body,  the  instrument  of 
his  evil  will,  moulders  in  the  earth  and  defiles  the 
grass  that  grows  above  it.  God  grant  that  I  may 
never  see  the  prison  where  his  disembodied  s])irit 
**  awaits  in  chains  and  darkness  the  judgment  of  the 
last  great  day." 


Qapter  jfourtccn* 

HOMEWARD    BOUND. 

AVEBER  CANYONS" — ECHO  CAXYON — CHEYEXE — OMAUA 
— AU    EEVOIR — ALL   HAIL  VERMONT. 

AT  four  o'clock  j).  m.  we  left  Salt  Lake  City  and 
ran  down  to  Ogden,  thirty-seven  miles,  to 
spend  the  night — glad  to  escape  from  a  moral 
atmosphere  so  tainted  ;  but  full  of  pity  for  the  Gen- 
tiles still  compelled  by  circumstances  to  breathe  the 
polluted  air. 

Friday  morning,  April  IGtIi,  we  resumed  our  jour- 
ney. Twenty  miles  east  of  Ogden  we  entered  the 
Weber  Canyon.  The  approach  to  this  remarkable 
gorge  is  through  a  bold,  craggy  pass,  called  the 
Devil's  Gate.  It  is  a  place  of  awful  gloom ;  over- 
hanging rocks  darken  the  air  and  make  a  mid-day 
twilight  that  chills  the  body  and  Aveighs  down  the 
spirit.  A  muddy  stream  roars  through  the  defile  and 
a  blast  of  wind  rushes  by  like  a  troo})  of  spectres. 

The  stony  peaks,  "eroded  and  eaten  by  the  tooth  of 
time,  have  assumed  strange,  fantastic  shapes ;  they 
loom  up  like  chimneys,  towers,  buttresses,  fortifica- 
tions pierced  with  holes  as  for  cannon,  castles,  hiero- 
glyphs, grotesque  forms  like  Aztec  gods.  In  one 
instance  a  group  of  rocks   forcibly  reminded   us  of 


JSTotes  of  Travel.  121 

Vedder^s  illustration  of  the  verse  in  the  Rnljyat  that 
reads  thus  : 

"They  say  the  liou  and  the  lizard  keep 
Their  court  where  Jam&hed  gloried  and  drank  deep, 
And  Baram,  that  great  hunter,  the  wild  ass 
Stamps  o'er  his  head,  hut  cannot  break  his  sleep." 

Indeed  the  whole  scene  is  suggestive  of  that  grand 
and  gloomy  poem. 

There  must  have  been  giants  of  old,  legions  of 
them,  to  have  upreared  such  stupendous  monuments. 
In  this  canyon  there  is  an  extraordinary  and  anoma- 
lous formation,  known  as  the  Devil's  Slide.  Two 
walls  of  rock,  perpendicular  and  parallel  as  the  paling 
of  a  fence,  run  up  the  frightful  steep  of  a  frowning 
cliff,  making  an  even,  narrow  lane  utterly  unlike  any- 
thing else  in  the  vicinity.  But  if  the  evil  one  made 
his  descent  from  the  mountain  in  this  dangerous 
slide,  the  fall  was  not  fatal.  He  recovered,  went 
through  his  gate  to  the  west  and  settled  in  Salt  Lake 
City,  where  he  now  carries  on  a  thriving  business. 

A  few  miles  further  on  is  Echo  Canyon,  less  strik- 
ing than  the  other,  but  unique  from  the  prevalence 
of  a  red  color  in  the  rocks  that  contrasts  beautifully 
with  carpets  of  gray-green  sage  brush  by  which  the 
shelves  are  covered  and  softened. 

Nature  seems  to  have  selected  these  wild  mountains 
for  her  waste  places — here  the  demiurges  have  piled 
up  or  scattered  the  debris  of  creation. 

Saturday  morning,  April  17th,  we  awoke  to  find 
ourselves  at  Laramie,  in  the  Black  Hills,  a  spur  of 
the  Rockies.     The  earth  was  covered  with  snow  for 


122    •  yofes  of  Travel. 

one  hundred  miles.  We  continued  to  ascend  until 
we  reached  Sherman^  the  height  of  land  eight  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  thirty-five  feet,  one  hundred 
and  thirt3^-three  feet  higher  than  Marquez,  the  higli- 
est  point  on  the  Mexican  Central.  Think  of  a  train 
of  cars  up  in  the  sky  at  this  awful  altitude ;  nearly 
twice  as  high  as  the  top  of  Mansfield  Mountain.  In 
this  lofty  city  a  plain  but  massive  monument  has  been 
erected  to  the  memory  of  Oakes  Ames,  the  first  presi- 
dent of  the  Union  Pacific  road. 

At  eleven  a.  m.  we  passed  Cheyene,  seven  thousand 
inhabitants,  said  to  be  the  richest  city  of  its  size  in 
the  United  States.  Sunday  we  spent  at  Omaha,  Ne- 
braska, a  thriving  city  of  sixty  thousand  souls.  Com- 
ing out  of  church  we  met  our  old  neighbor,  Charles 
Samson,  his  mother,  wife  and  sister.  They  are  well 
and  happy,  but  like  scores  of  other  Xew  Englanders 
we  have  seen,  they  sigh  for  the  salubrious  air  and 
social  life  of  the  East. 

We  have  met  a  large  number  of  graduates  from  the 
Central  Vermont  railroad,  and  are  happy  to  know 
how  highly  successful  and  universally  respected  they 
have  become  in  their  new  positions.  And  the  unmis- 
takable joy  that  beamed  in  every  face  upon  our  unex- 
pected meetings  was  a  gratifying  indication  of  the 
love  they  still  cherish  for  their  Alma  Mater. 

Sunday  night  and  Monday  we  passed  through  the 
highly  cultivated  lands  of  Iowa  and  Illinois,  reaching 
Chicago  at  half-past  two  p.  m.,  jMarcli  19th. 

And  now,  dear  reader,  I  will  trouble  you  no  longer. 
By  the  magic  power  of  the  pen  we  have  journeyed 


A 


uVofes  of  Travel.  123 

together  more  than  eleven  thousand  miles  and 
through  the  kindness  of  an  overruling  Providence 
no  trouble  has  come  nigh  us.  We  have  scaled  moun- 
tain heights  where  the  snow  forever  rests,  we  have 
sailed  on  tropic  seas  and  groped  in  dungeons  dank, 
we  have  hung  breathless  on  slender  wires  over  yawn- 
ing chasms,  and  crossed  dreary  deserts,  have  inhaled 
the  soft  airs  of  Eden  and  stifled  in  the  miasma 
of  Mormonism.  I  have  gathered  for  your  accept- 
ance flowers  of  fancy  from  perrenial  gardens  and 
fruits  of  thought  from  citrus  groves. 

But  now  wc  have  reached  the  beaten  jyaths  of 
travel,  where  every  scene  is  familiar  and  the  rude 
footsteps  of  a  hurrying  throng  crush  out  the  tender 
buds  of  sentiment,  and  rather  than  offer  platitudes 
and  commonjilaces  I  will  bid  you  a  kind  Farewell. 

"EAST  OR  WEST  — HOME   IS  BEST." 

"  Here  where  there's  ice  and  snow, 
Here  where  the  cold  winds  blow, 
Our  hearts  and  footsteps  go, 

To  thee  —  Vermont ! 
Thou  ai't  our  native  state, 
No  place  can  be  thy  mate. 
Thou  hast  no  duplicate. 

Beloved  Vermont. 

"  In  every  passing  breeze, 
In  all  the  grassy  leas. 
The  true  Vermonter  sees 

His  dear  old  home. 
In  lands  far,  far  away. 
He  longeth  for  the  day 
When  joyful  he  can  say, 

I'm  bound  for  home." 


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